


Can't Go Back

by IceQueenofMitera



Series: Beacon Hills Chronicles [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 57,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceQueenofMitera/pseuds/IceQueenofMitera
Summary: Still reeling from their losses two weeks earlier, the Beacon Hills pack now has to deal with a blast from the past and The Benefactor, a mystery person that has painted a target on all their backs. While Trish Roberts struggles with protecting her pack and family and keeping Jordan in the dark about her abilities, a part of her past returns. A part she wants to keep away from her younger sister, Anna.With enemies around each corner, Trish doesn't know who to trust. Will she be able to survive the dead pool or will she fail to protect her pack?
Relationships: Braeden/Derek Hale, Jordan Parrish/Original Female Character(s), Peter Hale/Original Female Character(s), Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Stiles Stilinski/Malia Tate
Series: Beacon Hills Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/629972
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Intro

It has been two weeks since the havoc caused by the nogitsune. Two weeks since we lost two of our pack to death and two more left, unable to deal with the grief of those deaths. It has been a hard two weeks. The younger members of the pack still hurt. I understand their grief. Losing a member of your pack is like losing a piece of yourself. The pain will always be there. No matter how many years pass. I know this well. But the pain is slowly ebbing, thanks to Jordan.

Jordan and I have been dating for the past two weeks. He’s been healing the hole left by Josh’s death. I have accepted now that Josh is gone but I will never forget him. He was the first person I ever loved after all. Jordan doesn’t know about us. He doesn’t know what I am or what I can do. I hope I can do a better job at keeping him safe from that knowledge, that burden, than I did with Anna. But he suspects something is strange about Beacon Hills. Noah told me that Jordan and two other deputies were attacked along with him when Void tried to kill everyone the pack cared about. It scares me that he almost died that night.

But that isn’t the worst of it. When I didn’t hear from Derek after his usual three days, Scott and I went to the loft to check on him. Only to find bullet casings all over the floor, although the alarm was on and nothing seemed to be amiss. I know the seal on the casings. And I’m terrified for Derek. I’m terrified that the Calaveras will kill him. I’m really hoping that Derek hasn’t been missing the entire time. We’re searching for him, but going to Mexico, going directly to the Calaveras, might be the only choice we have to find out Derek’s fate. I really don’t think I can lose any more pieces of myself.


	2. A Mexican Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens travel to Mexico in search of Derek and run into trouble.

We waited as Alan examined the photo Scott had just sent him of one of the bullet casings we’d found in the loft. I knew who the skull belonged to. Every Hunter family had its own symbol. The Argents had the fleur-de-leis. The Calaveras had the skull. Fitting really, since their name was also the Spanish word for it.

_Trish is right, this is the Calaveras’ seal._

I dropped the casing in the coffee can sitting on the kitchen island at Scott’s with the others we’d collected.

_But I don’t see their interest in Derek._

“Derek told me that they caught him and Peter in South America,” I said. “They had Talia’s claws. They were looking for someone they called La Loba. Neither Derek or Peter knew who they were talking about.”

“Maybe they were looking for Cora,” Scott suggested. “Or even Laura.”

“Laura would make more sense. If they didn’t know she was dead.”

“Because she was an Alpha?”

“Because she could actually turn into a wolf. It’s pretty rare.”

 _Indeed_. Alan agreed. _And a family like the Calaveras would feel threatened by her. But only if she gave them a reason to be. As far as I know, Laura was never in their territory._

“But why take Derek? None of us know who this La Loba is.”

Trish, I know what you’re thinking. It will not be wise to go into her territory unprepared. And just going in there and accusing her of taking Derek will not be good. You have the advantage of not many people knowing what you can do, especially Hunters. Think this through, both of you.

“Thanks, Doc,” Scott hung up and looked at me. “Do you think he’s still alive?”

I picked up one of the casings out of the can and looked at it. “The loft was full of these, Scott. I don’t know how much wolfsbane was pumped into his body with these. I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. Araya has to know that you’re his Alpha. Stuff like that travels fast in the supernatural world. Especially when a True Alpha rises.” I closed my hand around the casing. “There’s only one person who could tell us if going to Mexico would be a waste of time.”

~~~

We waited until Alan was gone for the day before we met at the clinic. Scott opened the door for Anna, Lydia, Stiles, and I. We’d already explained the situation to the others.

“Okay,” Stiles said as they walked in. “So how long has it been?”

“A couple of weeks. He’s not answering any of my texts,” Scott said.

“Has he ever?”

“He answers mine,” I said, looking at Stiles. “I’ve probably called and texted him a hundred times. It’s not like him not to call me back or answer with an attitude.”

Scott set the can of casings on the table. “When we hadn’t heard from him, Trish and I both went to the loft. The alarm was set and everything was how it was supposed to be.”

I picked up three of the casings and held them out. “With the exception of these being all over the floor.”

Lydia, Stiles, and Anna all took one from my hand and looked at it.

“What’s with the skull?” Anna asked.

“It's the seal of a family of Hunters called the Calaveras.”

“What would they want with Derek?” Lydia asked.

Scott looked over at me, but I didn’t really want them to know about the two Hales’ run-in with them. Especially not Anna.

“You don’t think they killed him, do you?” Stiles asked.

Scott and I looked at Lydia and she realized why she was there. She reached in and picked up a handful of the casings and sighed. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, much like Mom had taught me to do so many years ago. Then she dropped the casings on the metal table. We waited as she listened. An odd look passed across her face.

“Lydia, what?” Stiles asked. “Is he dead?”

I was holding my breath, dreading that she would say yes.

“No.”

I released my breath.

“But I don’t know if he’s alive either.” That wasn’t any better.

“What does that mean?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know.”

Anna was watching me.

“There’s something not right,” Lydia added. “I just… I don’t know.”

“It means we need to form a plan,” I whispered.

**ANNA**

That plan ended up not involving Trish. In fact, she didn’t know we’d left. At least for Mexico. She thought we were just camping out for the weekend, having a weekend to ourselves. She, Stilinski, and Melissa had all approved of our weekend plans. The only one who knew we were in Mexico was Peter. He had opted to stay in Beacon Hills in case Derek showed back up, but he was going to do his own tracking in case this lead was a mislead. Stiles somehow got ahold of the money from the Yakuza gun deal that Isaac attempted and we were going to bribe Araya Calavera with it. At least, Stiles and Lydia were. The rest of us were going to be backup. The rest of us being Scott, Kira, Malia, and me. Malia had joined the pack after Allison’s death, enrolling in school and Scott immediately took her under his wing to help her learn how to control her shifts. Something she didn’t have to do when she was trapped as a coyote. But Peter had told me something else about her. Something he made me promise to keep from her. I knew that Peter had a child, thanks to Lydia listening to Talia’s claws, but it turned out the name he’d wanted from Lydia was the name of his child. His daughter. Malia. The plan was Stiles and Lydia would get into their front business, which happened to be a night club, legitimately while Scott, Kira, Malia, and I would sneak in.

The club was packed and hopping. We’d spread out trying to keep from drawing attention to ourselves. Truthfully, Scott, with his dark hair and tanned skin, might have been the only one who could actually blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb. Two redheads, two white kids, and a Japanese girl would no doubt be noticeable in the room full of dancing and drinking Mexicans. Malia and I headed into the crowd and started dancing to the Spanish club music. Kira took a seat along one of the walls. Scott kept to the shadows. I saw a man lead Stiles and Lydia off and through a door. I caught Scott’s eye and nodded, letting him know they’d gone to see Araya. Scott nodded to acknowledge it. About 30 minutes later, a pair of Hunters started moving through the crowd like they were looking for something. Kira abandoned her seat and weaved through the crowd towards Malia. They conversed before Kira awkwardly started dancing. I snorted a laugh and I saw the amused look on Scott’s face. Then Malia pulled her close and they started dancing, drawing attention from the other dancers. Alright, they were good. And successful in drawing attention to themselves. The Hunters honed in on them as I moved closer. The two girls nodded at each other and then spun around, Kira whipping around a rave pink nunchaku and Malia literally pouncing on another one. Both of the Hunters were knocked out and two more came after them. I punched the one coming for Malia hard in the face as she broke the cattle prod hers had been carrying. Scott threw the other one across the room.

“Come on!”

We darted towards the door Stiles, Lydia and the Hunter had gone through.

We could still hear the music from the club as we waited for Scott, who’d surprise attacked the Hunter guarding the hallway the door led to. He returned and led us down the hall. About halfway down the hall, Scott stopped, motioning us to do the same. Under a doorway, white smoke poured into the hall. Scott took a step back. Seconds later, white smoke started pouring into the hall. Malia and Scott started coughing and Malia almost immediately hit the ground. Scott braced himself against the wall.

“Wolfsbane!” Scott cried. “It’s wolfsbane! Kira, Anna, get out of here!”

We both hesitated a moment before we spun around to run. One of the Hunters appeared in the hallway.

“Look out!” he warned. “Look out!”

Kira attacked but was cold-cocked with the butt of a shotgun and I backed away. Malia was completely out and Scott was on his knees.

“Someone who has been an Alpha only for a few months should be more careful when facing a Hunter of forty years.”

I looked over my shoulder at the speaker, a woman at least a decade older than Chris. This had to be Araya.

“All we want is Derek,” Scott gasped.

“Just tell us where he is and we’ll be out of your hair,” I added.

Araya only smiled. “Mi lobito,” she said. “You’re a long way from home.” She looked at me. “All of you are.”

“You don’t know where he is either,” Scott suddenly said.

Araya didn’t like that he figured that out and shoved a cattle prod into his chest.

“Stop it!” I screamed. “You’ll kill him! Stop!”

The Hunters put everyone but Lydia in an old bathroom but I’m pretty sure that’s not what it had been used for. Malia and Kira tried to pry the sliding door open with no luck while Stiles and I stayed with an unconscious Scott.

“I think people have tried getting out before,” Kira said. I looked up to see her running her fingers next to the wall. “There’s claw marks here.”

“Great,” Stiles said. “I’m going to die in a bathroom.”

I rolled my eyes. Kira and Malia finally gave up and joined us around Scott, Kira next to me and Malia leaning against a pole. After what seemed like forever, Scott finally woke up.

“Hey, guys,” Kira said. “He’s awake.”

The others gathered around Scott as we helped him sit up.

“Scott, you okay?” Stiles asked.

“They don’t have him. They don’t have Derek,” were the first words out of his mouth.

“We know,” Kira said. “But right now, they’ve got Lydia.”

“Lydia? What do they want with Lydia?”

Stiles shook his head. Unless finding dead bodies on a regular basis was a superhuman ability, Lydia really didn’t have the same abilities as we did. She was still fighting the fact that she was a Banshee, just like Trish fought the fact that she was an Eamonn right up to the night Scott became Alpha. Speaking of my sister, she is so going to kill me if she finds out what I’m currently being held by the Hunter family she refers to as the Mafia of Hunters. Scott tried his luck at prying open the doors.

“We’ve already tried that,” Kira said. “I think a lot of people already tried that.”

Scott noticed the claw marks then as well.

“I say when that door opens again, we take out whoever is standing in the way and run for it,” Malia suggested.

“What about Lydia?” Kira asked.

“What about her?”

“We’re not leaving without her,” Scott said.

“Why not?”

“Because we don’t leave without people,” Stiles said. “Remember? We talked about this. The rules of the animal kingdom don’t apply to friends.”

“Is that what you would do as a coyote?” Kira asked. “Leave her for dead?”

“If she was weak and injured, yeah. If hunting was bad that season, I’d eat her and then I’d leave.”

“Believe it or not, that’s progress,” Stiles said.

“Guys, she was a coyote for eight years,” I reminded them. “She’s not going to give up those instincts in a few months.”

Malia gave me a grateful look. I knew she was trying. Being a coyote was easier than being a human.

“Guys, we’re not dead yet,” Scott said.

“Yet being the keyword here,” I said, drily.

Scott gave me a look. “That means, Araya wants something.”

“If the Calaveras don’t know where Derek is, that means they didn’t take him from the loft, right?”

“Maybe he left on his own,” Stiles suggested.

“Maybe someone else got to him.”

“But who?” Then I had a thought. “If the Calaveras didn’t take Derek, we are so dead if my sister finds out about this.”

Stiles chuckled. “Anna has a point. Trish is going to kill us for not bringing her, too.”

Scott sighed, knowing we were right. We heard the door open and Scott pushed me back. The man at the lead, who had been the one to lead Stiles and Lydia out of the club, shoved a cattle prod into Scott’s chest.

“Scott!”

Stiles grabbed me and pulled me back as Kira jumped forward. Another Hunter did the same to her, but was thrown backward and into the wall when her foxfire activated because of the electricity. While two of the Hunters dragged Scott out of the room, the lead guy grabbed Kira by her arm and then pointed the cattle prod at the rest of us.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” He dragged Kira out, who looked scared shitless, and then closed the door.

I dropped an F-bomb, which earned me a pair of surprised looks from Stiles and Malia.

“I only usually hear that coming out of Trish’s mouth,” Stiles quipped.

“Shut it, Stiles.”

Malia was now sitting cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed. Stiles started pacing after a while.

“Can you hear them? Can you hear Scott?”

She frowned and shook her head, concentrating.

“Okay. Okay. Can you hear Kira? Lydia? Anybody? What are they saying?”

“Well, shut up and let her focus,” I said.

Malia sighed. “I… I can’t. I can’t concentrate. There’s too many voices. Too much noise. I can’t focus. There’s so many distractions.”

Stiles got on his knees in front of Malia. “It’s okay. Well, just breathe. Breathe with me, alright. You and Scott have been working on this. Just find your anchor. Focus on whatever anchors you. Here, look at my eyes.”

Malia did so. I’ll admit it was amusing me watching Stiles flail about trying to get Malia to focus. Amusing because he was usually such a hyperactive jumping bean.

“Focus on —”

Malia cut him off when she suddenly kissed him. The kiss took Stiles by surprise, judging by how wide his eyes were at that moment. Malia broke away, her eyes glowing bright blue.

“Looks like that worked,” I commented.

“I hear them.”

We waited. The lights flickered just as her eyes widened in fear.

“They’re killing him!” Malia’s voice was full of panic.

“What are they doing?”

“Lights are flickering, Stiles,” I said. “What the hell do you think they’re doing?”

“She keeps asking Scott for a name. She says he knows who has Derek. Says it’s someone who had a vendetta against the Hales.”

“The one person I can think of is dead,” Stiles said. He looked at me. “Know anyone else with a vendetta against them?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“He said a name. He said Kate.” Her eyes stopped glowing as she looked between us. We both had dumbfounded looks on our faces. Did she really just say Kate?

“Are you sure that’s what he said? Are you sure that’s the name he said?” I asked, slowly.

“That can’t be what he said,” Stiles agreed.

“Yeah. Why? Who…. who’s Kate?”

“That’s not possible,” I said. “That can’t be possible. Trish and Allison watched her die.”

“Who’s Kate?”

“She’s a hunter,” Stiles said. “An Argent.”

“She’s a psychotic bitch that’s supposed to be dead,” I answered darkly. I looked at Stiles. “Trish and Peter can’t know.”

“I know.”

“Why?” Malia was completely confused.

“Because their reactions will turn violent,” Stiles explained.

Everything had quieted down again when the door opened again. Malia immediately jumped into a crouch, ready to spring. But instead of Hunters, it was Kira.

“Kira?” I asked. “Where’s Scott?”

“Talking to Araya about where Kate was last seen. She’s letting us go.”

“So she’s letting us go because Scott gave her the name of a dead Hunter?” I asked.

“Don’t question,” Stiles said. “Just go with it. We’ll get Scott to explain later.” He grabbed my arm and all but dragged me out of the room.

“Let go of me or I’ll kick you.”

Stiles took my threat seriously and let go of my arm. We met Lydia next to Stiles’ Jeep. Several minutes later Araya walked out, followed by Scott. I couldn’t hear their conversation but I knew if that woman was threatening Scott, she would regret it. Araya walked back into the building and Scott had a slightly amused and respectful look on his face. He started to walk towards us and Stiles left us to meet him.

“So what now?” he asked.

“She thinks she knows where we can find Derek.”

“That was helpful,” I said. “Why couldn’t she have just said so to begin with?”

“She gonna tell us where?” Malia asked.

“Uh, actually, she’s giving us a guide.”

“Please tell me it’s not another twitchy Mafia Hunter.”

Lydia snorted. We heard a motorcycle heading towards us and we all looked in the direction. The rider was wearing all black with a helmet, black hair hanging past it. Stiles stepped out of the way and next to Scott as the biker stopped next to us. She pulled her helmet off and I saw it was a black woman with very distinctive claw scars on her left cheek and across her throat. I immediately wondered how she survived that, followed by who did that to her. Scott looked like he knew who she was.

“You know her?” Stiles asked.

“Braeden.”

“Who’s Braeden?” Kira asked.

“She helped Isaac escape from the Alphas,” I said. “You’re the woman my sister helped escape from the hospital.”

“I am. I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree there.”

I shrugged. I really couldn’t argue that.

“I’m also the only one who’s gonna take you to La Iglesia.”

“The Church?” Lydia asked, confused. “What’s the Church?”

“It’s not a place you’ll find God,” Braeden quipped. It was official. I liked her.

“Well, that’s not foreboding or anything,” I said.

“We need to get there before dark.” Braeden replaced her helmet and we all piled into Stiles’ Jeep and followed Braeden into the desert.

We rode in silence for a good while, Scott staring out the window and Stiles giving him worried looks. Scott and Stiles rode in the front, Kira, Malia, Lydia, and I were squeezed into the back. I used the silence to wonder how we were going to fit Derek into the Jeep and wishing I brought my Rio instead of letting Stiles talk us into using his piece of crap Jeep. And wondering if Scott just said the name to make Araya stop electrocuting him.

Malia broke the silence. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll ask. Who’s Kate Argent?”

Kira raised her hand. “Uh, I’d like to know, too.”

“She’s a bitch that I’m going to kill again if she’s really alive.”

Everyone looked at me. My hate for Kate Argent should not have been a surprise.

“Retract the claws, Anna,” Stiles said.

“She doesn’t have claws,” Malia said, looking down at my hands. “Does she?”

“In this case, I wish I did.”

Stiles cleared his throat. “Well, we were at her funeral, so I’d like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground.”

“Me too!”

“She was never in it,” Scott said.

“What?”

“She was Allison’s aunt,” Lydia said, seeing that we weren’t going to explain aside from me having an obvious hate for her. “And a total sociopath.”

“You don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to,” Kira said.

I could still feel the grief coming off of Scott. We all missed Allison. She was one of my best friends after all. I’d watched her die in Scott’s arms, an Oni controlled by Void having stabbed her while we fought to save Lydia from him. My sister and Chris had arrived too late to save her. It nearly broke Trish seeing Allison’s lifeless body, but the grief had turned to anger and she helped Derek and the twins keep the Oni busy while the rest of us fought Void himself.

“Um, yes he does,” Malia said. She didn’t know Allison at all. I don’t think she’d ever met Allison.

“Malia,” I said softly.

“Anna, she’s right,” Scott said. “They should know. They need to know.”

“Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek’s family,” Stiles said.

“Including Trish’s boyfriend at the time,” I added. “Her mate.”

“Some of them survived, like Cora and Peter,” Scott took up the story.

“A very angry Peter,” Lydia said.

“Well, if you were burned so bad that it took you six years to heal, you’d be angry too,” I said.

“Wait, isn’t Peter your boyfriend?” Malia asked.

“Yep,” I said with a smile.

“You like them older, don’t you?”

Lydia and Kira tried not to laugh.

“He’s not that old.”

“Peter’s also the one who bit and turned me,” Scott said, getting the conversation back on topic.

“And the one who finally caught up to Kate and killed her,” Lydia added.

“Trish and Allison watched Peter rip her throat out.”

“And we saw her buried,” Stiles said.

“No,” Scott corrected. “We saw a casket, remember? She wasn’t in it.”

“What do you mean, wasn’t in it?” I asked.

“The Calaveras heard that Kate had been killed by an Alpha’s claws. They wanted to make sure she was really dead. Her body was healing. More and more as she got closer to the full moon. She was coming back, so they switched out the bodies.”

“Whoa!” I cried. “Hold the phone! Are you saying Peter turned that bitch into a werewolf?!”

“Well, something,” Scott sighed. “They took her to Mexico. To that room they kept us in. If a Hunter is bit, they have to take their own life before they change.”

“Like Allison’s mom.”

Scott looked at me and nodded. Gerard had used Victoria’s death to his advantage, nearly succeeding in killing Derek for his Alpha spark. Now the bastard was sitting in an assisted living home constantly expelling Mountain Ash goo. A good fate for him.

“The Calaveras, they treat the Code like law. They make it their responsibility to enforce it.”

“Is that why Trish calls them the Mafia of Hunters?” Stiles asked.

“Pretty much.”

“So that was another part of the Code Kate broke?” I asked.

Scott nodded.

“Good for her,” Malia said. “I wouldn’t do it either.”

“Would you kill half a dozen people to get out?”

Malia didn’t answer.

“Because that’s what she did.”

“Why am I not surprised?” I said.

“So Kate’s a werewolf now,” Kira asked. She then looked at me. “Or something.”

“There’s a saying that I’ve heard Derek and Trish say a lot,” Scott said. “Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are.”

“What kind of shape is sociopathic bitch?” Lydia asked and I snorted a laugh.

Suddenly the Jeep lurched, sputtered and died. Stiles managed to keep control of the Jeep and brought it to a stop. He and Scott leapt out of the Jeep and started searching for the cause of the vehicle’s meltdown, Kira and I following. Braeden had turned around once she realized we weren’t following and headed towards us.

“What happened?” she asked once she dismounted her bike.

“I don’t know,” Stiles said. “It felt like we hit something.”

Malia and Lydia joined us in looking for what we hit.

“Scott, we need to get there by night,” Braeden reminded him. “It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

Scott hesitated.

“Go,” I said.

Scott looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Anna’s right,” Stiles agreed. “Go.”

“Not without you.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” I said. “If Kate has Derek, he’s going to need his Alpha.”

“Yeah, someone needs to find Derek or this whole trip has been a waste of time. We’ll figure something out. We always do. Just go.”

Braeden headed back to her bike and Stiles nodded. He looked over at me.

“Stiles is right. You need to find Derek. We’ll be alright.”

“Okay.” Scott nodded and turned to follow Braeden.

“Scott,” Kira ran after him. He turned back towards her. “I can’t think of anything else to say except be careful. And I know be careful sounds kinda lame.”

I snickered as I looked under the back of the Jeep.

“And I’m totally sure the second you’re gone I’m going to think of something better, but I…”

I was about to lose it from the awkwardness of that goodbye.

“No, be careful works for me.”

I lost it as Kira hugged him.

“Scott, the sun’s going down,” Braeden called.

“Hey, I gotta go.”

Kira let him go and he ran towards Braeden.

“Are you done laughing your ass off in the dirt?” Lydia asked.

Stiles had lifted the hood of the Jeep and Lydia was at the back to retrieve his toolbox.

“I think so.”

We got his toolbox and I returned to the front in time to watch Braeden and Scott leave. The levity fled and I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach like I’d swallowed a cold rock. I really hoped they found Derek. For Trish and Peter’s sakes.

"Stiles.” I turned to see Malia with her hand in the front fender wheel. She yanked something out. “I don’t think we hit something.” She pulled out what looked like a long primal knife made out of bone. “I think something hit us.”

Stiles took it and looked at it.

“What the hell is that?” I asked.

“It looks like a knife.”

I looked around into the empty space around us. “But who the hell threw it at us?”

~~~

The sun was setting and I wasn’t really keen on being out here after dark. Malia and Kira were watching the area around us. I was leaned against one side of the Jeep watching Stiles work. Lydia was leaned against the other side, her back to us.

“Maybe we should just walk,” she suggested.

Stiles looked up, the handle of a screwdriver in his mouth. “Hey,” He took the screwdriver out of his mouth. “I will never abandon this jeep. You understand me? Ever. Ever.” He went back to work.

“Considering you named it Roscoe,” I commented. “I would think not.”

“Don’t diss my Jeep.”

“Dude, I diss your Jeep all the time and you’re never going to do anything about it.”

“Good point.”

“Another point I have is we have no idea what is out there and if arrows will even work on it.” I’d insisted on bringing my bow.

Lydia picked up the flashlight and brought it back like she was going to hit him with it before slamming it back into the toolbox.

“Work faster, Stiles,” Malia suddenly said. Everyone looked at her. “There’s something out here with us.”

I could sense her alertness. Which was enough for me to go and retrieve said bow from the back of the Jeep, glad that I insisted on bringing it.

The sun had set and Stiles was inside the engine compartment now. Kira had retrieved her katana and was standing next to Malia now. I was standing on the other side, my bow in my hand and an arrow nocked. All three of us were scanning the area around us. I was feeling out for emotions of some kind, but all I was picking up was Stiles’ frustration, Lydia’s fear, Malia’s alertness, and Kira’s uneasiness.

“Lydia, could you please hold the light still for a second? It’s really hard to see anything with you shaking it like that.”

“I’m shaking it like this because we’re in the middle of nowhere with your broken down jeep and we’re being attacked by yet another razor clawed monster. And I’m terrified.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her assessment of our current situation.

“Well, just be slightly less terrified. And hold this.”

“What’s this?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping it’s not important.”

I turned to see Lydia was holding a part from the Jeep.

“Oh, God.” Yeah, my Rio would have been the better choice. At least it wasn’t constantly breaking down.

“Anything?”

My attention went back to what I was supposed to be doing at Kira’s question.

“It’s too hard to see,” Malia answered. “We should’ve brought another flashlight.”

“Well, I don’t think we expected to be broken down in the middle of Devil’s Backbone.”

Malia gave me a confused look.

“Saying Trish likes to use for the middle of nowhere.”

“Oh.”

Kira headed back to the Jeep and angled her katana to make use of the headlights. The light caught something that dodged behind a rock and I pulled the string of the bow back. “Did you see that?” “Yep,” I answered.

Malia roared and took off.

“Malia!”

“Malia, wait!” Kira sprinted after her.

“Hey, Malia!” Stiles cried, starting to go after her too.

“Kira, go!” Lydia cried. “You,” she flashed him with the light. “Fix the Jeep.”

Stiles started to jump out.

“Stiles! Focus.”

Stiles gave a frustrated grunt.

I started to run after them but then realized if I left, it would leave Stiles and Lydia unprotected. I wasn’t an Eamonn like my sister, but I knew that I had to protect them from whatever this was. Stiles didn’t have the strength of Void behind him anymore and Lydia was still learning how to use her scream, although I’d never seen her use it as a weapon. Mystery Supernatural was the only one that could protect them at the moment. My eyes darted around the area, looking for any sign of the creature. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I jumped when the Jeep suddenly came to life.

“Oh, thank God!” I turned as two figures came into view and I pulled the fletching to my cheek.

“Anna!” Kira called. “It’s us! It’s us!”

I relaxed. “I could have shot you!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

We piled into the Jeep, Malia riding in the front this time. Stiles floored it and sped away, heading in the direction that Braeden and Scott had gone.

“You… you please don’t do that ever again!” Stiles said.

“Do what?” Malia asked.

“I… I thought you just took off. I thought you were running.”

“I was running.”

I snickered.

“No, I mean, like, I thought you were leaving.”

“I wouldn’t leave without you.”

“Really?”

“I would never leave without you.” She looked behind her. “Or Anna. Those two I would leave.” She indicated Kira and Lydia.

I don’t know how I ended up on the “Do Not Leave” list but I wasn’t going to question it. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shut up, Anna,” Lydia said as she rolled her eyes.

“It’s progress,” Stiles said.

I leaned forward. “Is it healing?” I asked, indicating the wound whatever they were chasing out there had left on Malia’s side. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at it, but she knew it was big and fast.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?” Kira asked. “It looks deep.”

“It’s fine. I can feel it healing.”

“So you didn’t see anything?” Lydia asked.

Malia shook her head. “Barely. It had a strong scent though.”

“Like what?” Stiles asked.

Malia looked out the window. “Like death.”

I frowned, not liking the sound of that. Suddenly we heard a long and loud roar.

“What the hell was that?”

“That sounded like Scott,” Malia said. “I know that roar anywhere.” She pointed to her right. “It came from that way.”

~~~

Stiles raced down the road until we came upon a ruined town, the only building left standing was a church in the middle of the town.

“That must be La Iglesia,” I said.

Stiles pulled into the town, driving down the streets until he found his way to the church. Just as we reached it, Scott and Braeden came out of the church with someone between them.

“They found him!” I cried.

We piled out of the Jeep and I ran towards them, happy to see Sour Wolf. Then I stopped in my tracks. Something wasn’t right. I had been expecting to see tall, scruffy Derek. But the person between Scott and Braeden was a teenaged boy. I was in shock. I hadn’t seen this boy since I was ten years old. The others caught up to me.

“Is that him?” Malia asked. “Is that Derek?”

“Sort of,” Stiles said.

I couldn’t speak, I was in so much shock. How in the hell was I going to explain this to Trish and Peter? The teenager lifted his head and looked at us. His green eyes saw me and I could feel some of his fear dissipate.

“Anna?”

I forced a smile. “Hi, Derek.”


	3. The Fountain of Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trish makes a shocking discovery. The pack tries to find out what Kate's motives are.

With Derek being a teenager again, we were able to fit him in the back with us. He was leaned against me, Malia having ended up in the very back. He was scared and confused. I really didn’t blame him. I was scared and confused myself. Mostly confused at what Kate had done to him and scared at how Trish would react when she found this out. Braeden led us back to the highway before we parted ways with a message to tell Trish hi and to thank her. She said Trish would know what it meant. By the time we reached Beacon Hills, it was well past midnight on a school night and it was raining. Derek had passed out a long time ago. How was I going to explain all this to Trish? How was I going to explain to her that we left without her and found Derek after being caught by Hunters? I had no explanations on why Derek was a scared teenager and not a pissed-off 23-year-old. Stiles pulled up in front of the animal clinic and I hoped Deaton would have an explanation for this. We’d dropped off Malia and Kira but Lydia and I insisted on going with Scott and Stiles to the clinic. Stiles had seconded the notion of me going because I was the one Derek seemed to be latching on to. Scott pulled Derek out of the jeep and threw him over his shoulder. I followed him out and the four of us ran into the clinic. Deaton shoved supplies off the treatment table and Scott laid Derek down. Deaton looked down at the teenager on the table, surprise clear on his face.

“Wow,” was the only thing he said.

“Wow?” Stiles asked. “Wow as in _I’ve seen this before and I know exactly what to do,_ kind of wow? ‘Cause that’s the kind of wow we’re hoping for.”

Deaton looked at Stiles and I picked up that he was just as confused as we were.

“I was really hoping you’d seen this and knew what to do,” I sighed.

“I think you might be overestimating my abilities, Stiles,” He then looked at me. “Both of you.”

I gave a half-smile.

“What about Trish?” Stiles asked. “Do you think —”

“No,” I cut him off. Trish was the last person that needed to know about this.

“I mean we can call her and ask.”

“I said no, Stiles.”

Deaton and Scott both looked at me. Scott seemed to understand why I didn’t want my sister to know.

“He’s cold,” Lydia suddenly said.

I looked over at her and saw that she had his hand in hers.

“Really cold.”

Deaton started to check his vitals.

“Do you think this is permanent?” Scott asked.

“Oh, God, I hope not,” I said.

“I’m not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate. This is well beyond my experience.” He looked at me. “Trish’s too. Elizabeth might have been a help.”

“Be a little hard to get her take on this,” I said. “Unless the Banshee can summon the dead.”

“That’s not funny, Anna,” Lydia said.

“Who’s Elizabeth?” Stiles asked.

“My mom. She was basically Deaton with some magical talent and I’m pretty sure she was a walking bestiary.”

“So what do we do with Derek until we figure this out?”

“Until he wakes up? Probably not much. It might be best to leave him with me. He’ll be safe here.”

“I agree,” I said.

“You mean from Kate?”

“I’m pretty sure Kate can’t get past Mountain Ash.”

“Anna’s right,” Deaton backed me up. “If she’s alive and is what you say she is, she won’t be able to walk past that gate.”

“Why would she want to do this to him?” Lydia asked the question we were all thinking.

“Knowing Kate, it’s probably for a reason that we won’t be any good for anyone but her.”

“And bad for everyone else,” Stiles finished.

“She definitely takes after her father, then,” I said drily.

Deaton chuckled. “You may be right about that.” He looked over all of us. “You guys should probably go home. He doesn’t look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep? It is a school night.”

Scott looked like he was about to start falling asleep standing up.

“And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again.”

“Someone should stay with you,” Scott said.

“I’ll stay,” Lydia offered. “My grades are fine.”

“She also has enough credits to graduate this year if she wanted to,” I added.

“Shouldn’t Anna be the one to stay?” Stiles asked. “She’s been the one he’s been latched onto.”

Deaton’s brows knit together.

“Because Trish will kill me if I don’t go to school tomorrow. She’s already going to kill me for getting home so late.”

“She won’t kill you for that,” Deaton assured me. “She worked the graveyard shift tonight to cover the staffing lapse the hospital currently has.”

“I’m so not okay with this,” Stiles said.

“Guys, go.”

“No.”

I patted Scott’s shoulder with the back of my hand. “Come on,” I said. “We need sleep and we know our respective parental figures will not be happy if our grades start dropping.”

Scott nodded. “Text us if anything happens.”

Lydia nodded and we turned to leave.

Stiles didn’t budge. “Nope still not okay with it. Still not going anywhere.”

Scott grabbed his arm as he passed and dragged him to the door.

“Alright, just because you’re stronger…”

“Shut up, Stiles.” I stopped and looked back at Lydia and Deaton. “Please, don’t tell Trish about this. Or about Kate.”

Deaton nodded. “I won’t involve her. I promise.”

I turned and followed the boys out.

~~~

Deaton was right. Trish wasn’t home when I got there. I found a note from Trish about dinner being in the fridge but I was too exhausted to eat. I’d gotten the same promise out of Scott and Stiles not to tell Trish about Derek and Kate. It was my turn to protect her. Maybe I’d do a better job at keeping secrets from her then she did with me. I fell into bed and went right to sleep.

**TRISH**

Anna was getting ready for school when I got home from work.

“Hi, Trish,” she greeted as she came down the stairs with her bag.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I said. “How was your trip?”

“Uh, great! We had lots of fun.”

I headed into the kitchen to clean up, but saw either Anna had cleaned up after herself last night or she just didn’t eat. I opened the fridge to see the later was true. “Did you eat last night? You know I don’t like it when you don’t eat.”

“I ate with my friends. We had Mexican.”

I looked over at her.

“I gotta go before I’m late. See you later!” Anna all but ran out of the door.

I shook my head and took out the leftovers. If she wasn’t going to eat it, then that was going to be my breakfast before I went to get some sleep.

For some reason, I couldn’t sleep very well, so I gave up on that. I hadn’t heard anything new from Peter or from the teens of the pack. Eventually, we might have to go to Mexico and confront the Calaveras. Peter hadn’t been able to pick up Derek’s scent, so he’d been drumming up his contacts. I’d even gone as far as to ask Deucalion to keep an eye out and an ear to the ground. He was fairly solitary now, mentoring wolves without Alphas and teaching them the ropes. Even his contacts hadn’t come up with anything. I sighed, reaching for the phone to ask Alan for his advice on the topic. Just as I reached for it, it started to ring. I smiled, seeing Jordan’s picture pop up.

“Hey,” I answered.

_Hey, Trish. Are you busy?_

“Not at all. What’s up?”

_This is going to sound kinda weird, but there’s this kid at the station we arrested for trespassing on the old Hale property and went ballistic on us demanding to know where his family was. When I asked him if there was anyone we could call for him, he named you._

“Me?”

_Yeah. He won’t give a name and we’re about to run his prints. Can you come down here?_

“Of course. I’ll be there in a few.”

_Thanks._

I hung up, confused. Why would some random kid be asking for me? I racked my brain, trying to think of any patients that might ask for me, but none jumped out at me. As I headed to my car, I wondered if my name was known among the supernatural as being safe. There were some Druids that put their name out there as safe havens. I wasn’t one of them. I had enough to deal with as an Eamonn.

When I got to the station, I headed straight back. I’d been there so many times the person at the front never stopped me. Jordan was leaned over the desk of another deputy looking at the computer. But the kid sitting on the bench outside Stilinski’s office made me stop in my tracks. This was impossible. I’m pretty sure I was in the Twilight Zone or something right now. The random kid asking for me was a teenaged Derek. This couldn’t be right. I blinked a couple of times, thinking I was just overworked and I was at the point of hallucinating. Or I’d been poisoned again. Either was a good explanation. Jordan looked over his shoulder and saw me. He left the other deputy and walked over to me.

“Hey, thanks for coming over so fast.”

“That’s him?”

Jordan looked over at the Derek lookalike. He’d seen me and looked hopeful. “Yeah, why? You know him?”

“Yeah. I’m just surprised to see him. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Parrish, get over here!” the deputy called him back over to his desk.

I walked over to the teenager and sat next to him.

“You always said if I was in trouble to call you,” he said.

I smiled, concentrating on keeping my heart rate steady. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried about you.”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember much.” He looked at me. “I went to the house but it was torn down. Where’s Mom?”

I realized that whatever happened to him had sent him completely back. He had no memory of the fire, or his family’s deaths.

“Did you say Hale?” Stilinski asked, saving me from answering, and I looked up.

All three had confused looks on their faces. Stilinski looked over at us, then back at the computer. He did this a couple of times as I stood back up. He walked over to Derek and gave him a good look. Then he looked at me with the question on his face. I held my hands up and shook my head. I was just as clueless as he was. Derek was looking at Stilinski like he lost his mind. Which he probably had at that moment. Stilinski went back to the computer and looked at the screen again. I was trying not to laugh at this point. He looked back at Derek.

Then Scott, Stiles, and Anna ran into the room. Anna got the look she always got when I caught her in something. I just crossed my arms and raised a brow at them. Those three were going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Stilinski sighed. “I’ll handle this.” He turned to the teens. “In my office.” He motioned for them to go into his office. “All four of you.”

I looked at Derek. “I’ll be right back,” I started to follow. “We’re not going to tell your mother about this.”

Derek chuckled as I went into the office. I shut the door behind me.

Stilinski leaned against his desk. “I want you to be completely honest with me,” he said. I was standing off to the side with my arms crossed. “Absolutely and completely honest.” The kids nodded. “Have you been time traveling?”

“Hang on, what?” Stiles asked.

I motioned to the teenaged Derek sitting outside the office. “I would like an explanation of that.”

“If time traveling is real,” Stilinski said. “You know what, I’m done. I’m out. You’re going to be driving me to Eichen House.”

“We found him like that,” Scott said.

“Where?” I asked. “In the freaking Fountain of Youth?”

“No,” Stiles said. “We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake.”

Anna was hitting him in the arm as he rambled.

“Anna!” I scolded.

“You told me you were camping!” Stilinski all but hissed.

“Yeah, we were. In Mexico.”

“You guys went without me?!” I said, managing to keep from yelling. “I was supposed to go with you. You guys could have gotten hurt! And none of us would have known where you were!”

“Actually you would have known where we were,” Anna muttered.

I gave her a look. “God, you are just like me.”

Stilinski’s mouth was working but nothing was coming out.

“Derek’s been aged backward,” Scott said. “He doesn’t remember anything.”

“I got that much when he asked me where Talia was,” I said. I rubbed my temples. “I don’t know if this will wear off or if there’s a reversal spell.”

“We just need to talk to him,” Stiles said.

“Well, so far, he’s not talking to anyone. Trish is the only one he’s said anything to. Hell, he asked for her when Parrish asked him if there was anyone we could call.”

“Then I’ll talk to him,” I looked at Scott. “And I’m sure he’ll talk to you.”

I called Derek into the office and Scott and I tried to convince him to go with Scott.

Derek just looked at Scott. “Why would I go anywhere with you?” He then looked over at me. “Do you trust him?”

“With my life.”

Scott looked over at me, somewhat surprised with my answer. It was the truth. I trusted Scott, both as an Alpha and a person. “Derek, there was an accident.”

I looked up at Scott. Was he really planning on telling Derek everything?

“You lost some memory, but we’ll help you get it back.”

“How much memory?”

“A lot. But like Trish said, you can trust us.”

“Why should I trust you?”

Scott knelt down in front of Derek and let his eyes change. I still wasn’t used to the crimson they now turned into, months after the night in the distillery.

“Because he’s our Alpha,” I said.

He looked over at me. “Our? What do you mean our? Who are you?” He motioned to Stiles. “And who is he?”

“Oh, we’re the guys keeping you out of jail,” Stiles quipped.

“Oh, really?” I said.

Anna giggled.

“Well, we would be if Trish hadn’t gotten here first.”

“This is Scott. And the idiot over there is Stiles.”

“Hey!”

Derek looked at me. “I’m not going with them.”

“Derek, you almost tore apart two cops because you can’t focus.”

“I was upset. I can focus as long as it’s not a full moon.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Derek didn’t learn complete control until right before the fire. Around the time he met Kate.

“You still have trouble with the full moon?” Scott asked.

“Scott…”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Are you coming with us or not?” Stiles asked.

“No, I’m going with Trish.”

Anna looked over at me.

“I know her a lot better than I know you. If you want me to trust you, then tell me where my family is.”

Scott and Stiles looked at one another.

“There was a fire,” Scott started. Then he hesitated. “And…”

“They had to move away,” Anna said. “They’re fine.”

I looked over at her, surprised that she just lied to him.

“Yeah, they had to leave Beacon Hills. We’ll take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back.”

“I know someone that can help, but he’s not in Beacon Hills,” I went with the lie. “I’ll need you to stay with Scott and Stiles while I talk to him.”

“Okay.”

I signed the paperwork for Derek’s release, feeling bad about lying to him. The truth was I was going to consult my bestiary. When we walked out of the office I saw that Scott and Anna were gone. “Where the hell did they go?” I asked.

“They went to consult another contact of ours,” Stiles said. “I’m going to take him to Scott’s and we’re just going to hang out until you guys meet us there.”

“Why does this sound like one of our usual plans?”

Stiles shrugged before Derek left with Stiles and I headed home.

**ANNA**

I held onto Scott’s waist as I rode on the back on his bike as we headed towards the loft. Peter had been living there, hoping that Derek would show back up. He was literally going to be the last person to know about Derek and I felt bad for not telling him. But we were going to have to tell him about Kate. I wondered if I could keep Trish from finding out about her better than I had about Derek. We were both surprised to see Malia waiting for us.

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked.

I pulled my helmet off.

“I heard you two were coming to talk to Peter. And since Lydia says he’s basically Satan in a V-neck, I figured you shouldn’t be alone.”

I sighed. I really wished everyone would quit hating him so much.

“I’m not alone,” Scott said, motioning to me. “I brought his girlfriend along.”

“Well, I still think I should go too.” Malia headed towards the door.

“Oh, this is such a bad idea,” I said.

“I know,” Scott looked at me. “Wait, you know?”

“Duh, Peter told me.”

“Of course he did.”

“I promised him not to tell her.”

Scott’s eyebrows shot skyward.

“He’s not the conniving monster everyone thinks he is. He wants what’s best for her.” I followed Malia, leaving Scott to gape after me.

Scott pulled open the door and we went into the seemingly empty loft.

“What’s wrong with you?” Malia suddenly asked.

“Who?” I asked.

“Scott.”

“Nothing.”

“Your heart is pounding like crazy. Are you nervous?”

I smirked.

“Uh.”

“He’s just bad at introductions,” Peter said.

Now _my_ heart was beating like crazy. Like it did every time I was near him. He was sprawled out on the couch with a book. The hilarity was not lost on me over the fact that he was indeed wearing a white V-neck.

“Hi, Peter,” I said, going over to him.

His face brightened. “Angel.” I loved it when he called me that. “So who’s your friend, Scott?”

“This… is Malia.”

Peter had never actually met his daughter, so to finally be face to face with her seemed to overwhelm him for a moment. He closed the book and got up, several emotions coming off him. He was a master at hiding them from the others, but he could never hide them from me.

“Beautiful eyes,” he said. “Did you get them from your father?”

I looked over at Peter. Malia had brown eyes, not blue.

“Mother.” She was looking at him with a weird look on her face.

“Interesting. Anyway, I’m sure they’ve told you a lot about me.”

“The homicidal killing spree came up.”

I sighed and Peter put his hand on my arm, knowing I was about to say something.

“We’re all works in progress.”

“Well, when you progress to your next killing spree, why don’t you try and make sure they all stay dead?”

“Malia!” I said.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you know about people being turned by a scratch?” Scott asked.

“Did you scratch someone, Scott?”

“He didn’t…,” I said.

Peter gave me a puzzled look and I bit my lip

“Well, don’t worry about it. The claws have to go pretty deep.”

I was really reluctant to tell Peter that Kate was back. That she never died. “But’s it’s possible? Like if you clawed out someone’s throat?”

Peter went over to the table and leaned on it. “Well, yeah, it’s possible,” he admitted. “It’s also beyond rare. I mean, we’re talking one in a —” He cut himself off, a look of realization coming across his face. He then sighed, a dangerous look coming across his face. “Million.” He pushed off the table. “Can’t someone in this town stay dead?”

“I think they were hoping you would,” Malia said.

“Well, I’m glad he didn’t!” I said.

Peter turned. “Okay, I walked into that one.”

“Do you have any idea why Kate would turn Derek back into a teenager?” Scott asked.

Peter didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he looked over his shoulder at us. “What color were his eyes?”

“Blue.”

“After Paige. Which could mean around the time he first met Kate.” He turned to me. “Does Trish know about this?”

“About Derek? Yes. Kate? I’m kinda afraid to tell her.”

“So she’s literally the last person to know that Kate’s back?”

“Yep.”

“Wait,” Scott interrupted us. “Derek and Kate knew each other?”

“Biblically.”

This was news to me. I didn’t know they knew each other like that.

Peter turned back towards us. “That’s right, Scott. You weren’t the first wolf to climb into a Hunter’s bed.”

“Oh, my God,” I said. “That’s why Chris helped Trish that night.”

Peter looked over at me.

“She knew.”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, she knew.” He sighed and started to pace. I could see the wheels turning in his head. “Okay, so Derek went to the house thinking it was still there, right?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t remember the fire,” Scott said.

“But, if he doesn’t remember the fire, then he doesn’t remember that it was Kate that set it.”

“So what does that mean?” Malia asked.

“Kate didn’t just take him back to being a teenager.”

“She’s using him,” I said.

Peter stopped at looked at me. “Anna, you’re a genius. Kate took him back to the age where he still knew her. When he still trusted her.”

“Why? Why does she need him to trust her?” I asked. “What is she after?”

Scott’s phone rang at that moment. “Stiles?” He stepped away to talk to his best friend.

Peter sighed. “I… I don’t know.”

“Damn it, Stiles! You were supposed to keep an eye on him!” We all turned to Scott. “Just… We’ll find him.” He hung up. “Kate found him at my house and he left with her.”

Peter dropped a curse and he and Malia started to head towards the door.

“Wait!”

“For, what?” Peter asked. “Kate’s out there twisting her way into Derek’s head yet again. We need to find her.”

“All we need’s a scent,” Malia said.

“We don’t have time for that,” I said.

Scott nodded. “Finding a scent could take hours. If we want to get ahead of her, we need to figure out where she’s going.”

“Not to underestimate my own cognitive faculties, but we’re not exactly a brain trust of geniuses here.”

I smiled. “But we know one.”

Scott pulled out his phone. “Maybe we should call our genius.”

Our genius turned out to be with Kira at a crime scene, her Banshee abilities having led them to a gas station and a grisly murder in the bathroom.

 _We’ve called Stilinski._ she said, Scott having put her on speakerphone. _They’re on their way._

“What does it look like? Can you send pictures?”

“Seriously?” I asked.

 _Uh, okay…_. She cleared her throat. _To be honest, I have a 4.0 in AP Biology, and there are parts of the human anatomy I have never seen before on these walls._ Lydia and Kira made disgusted noises and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see these pictures. A few minutes later, the pictures came over.

“Holy shit!” I cried, channeling my sister at that moment. “Are we sure that was a person and not a side of beef?”

“Why would she want to kill a gas station attendant?” Malia asked.

“Wait…,” I took Scott’s phone and zoomed in on the picture. “Look at the claw marks.”

“Anna’s onto something,” Peter said. “I don’t think she could help it. This was done in a frenzy. It’s not a murder.”

“She can’t control it.”

“Derek said he had the same issue on the full moon,” Scott said. “That he was still learning.”

“Kate’s still learning?” Malia asked. “She wants to learn.”

“So she wants Derek to teach her?”

Another look of realization came across Peter’s face. “No, she wants the Triskelion. I know where they’re going.”

~~~

We headed to the school, Peter explaining that the Hales had a vault under the school, where they kept their heirlooms, including the Triskelion. As we headed up the stairs, Malia suddenly stopped. We stopped and turned.

“Did you catch a scent?” Scott asked.

“It’s the same one.” Peter looked between us. “The same one as Mexico.”

“Oh, I should have brought my bow,” I said.

“What is she talking about?” Peter asked. “What is it that you think you should have brought your bow?”

“I don’t know, but it attacked us on the road.”

“One of them came after us in the Church ruins,” Scott said.

“What attacked you?”

“They couldn’t have followed us here.”

“What?”

“They could have been brought here by Kate.”

“What the hell are you guys—,” Peter was cut off by a loud growl. “Oh, I heard that sound before.” There was a look on his face that I’d never seen before and I could feel… fear? I’d never know Peter to be afraid before. “Did it have an animal skull? A human wearing a skull over its face?”

“I think so,” Malia said.

“Um… Like that?” I asked, pointing. Everyone looked in the direction I was pointing. A huge… creature… that looked like it was wearing armor made out of bone and a bear skull on its face was slowly walking towards us. I could see why Peter was afraid.

“Berserkers,” Peter said.

Malia started growling and made like she was going to attack. Peter grabbed her arm.

“Why is your first instinct always to attack?” I asked.

“Are you crazy?!” Peter asked.

“It’s just one of them,” Malia said.

“Yeah, that means we have a chance.”

“To beat him?”

“To survive. Run!” Peter turned and took off.

“Um, I think we should follow his lead,” I said.

“Yeah,” Scott agreed and the three of us followed Peter in high tailing it the other way.

**TRISH**

I hadn’t found anything after combing through my bestiary. I was feeling lost, even Alan didn’t know anything about who or what could have caused this. My phone rang and I looked down to see it was Anna. I answered and put it on speaker. “Hey.”

_Um, I have some bad news._

“Oh, crap.”

_Well, um, I think we figured out who did this to Derek._

“Who?”

_Someone called La Loba._

“So the freaking Calaveras led her right to him. Why would La Loba want to turn him back into a teenager?”

_We have a hunch, but we need you. Can you meet us at the school?_

“Why am I not surprised? Yeah, I’ll meet you guys there,” I hung up. “What is at the school?” I wondered out loud.

~~~

I pulled up to the school, seeing the Cruiser. Which meant that Peter was here too. And he had borrowed Derek’s car. I went up to the car and saw they weren’t in it. Or anywhere around. I pulled my phone out to call Anna to see where they were when I heard a growl. I froze looking around. It wasn’t like any growl I’d ever heard before. I heard it again. Where the hell was it coming from? Then I heard a scream. Anna’s scream.

“Oh, God,” I whispered, slipping my phone back into my pocket and taking off at a run in the direction I had heard it.

Then I heard Scott roar. I ran faster. The growling I heard earlier was growing louder and I gathered my power. I turned a corner, just in time to see Anna pulling Malia away from this thing that looked like a walking bear skeleton. I instantly recognized it from a sketch in my bestiary. The Berserker raised its arm, a long bone that protruded from its wrist.

“Malia, get up!” Anna screamed.

I sent my strongest force blast at it. The force hit it in the chest and he flew backward. “Keep away from my sister, you bastard!”

Anna and Malia looked behind them to see me.

“I am so glad to see you!”

Scott came flying towards us and landed next to Malia and Anna.

“Shit,” I muttered, seeing there were two of them. “Who did you guys manage to piss off?”

“Apparently La Loba,” Anna answered.

I took my stance between the kids and the Beserkers, my eyes changing color. They growled and started to come towards me. I blasted one, trying to remember what these guys’ weaknesses were. Kira came out of nowhere, her katana flashing. The two of us managed to make them retreat slightly. Until Kira let her attention waver away from them. One disarmed her before backhanding her. She went flying, landing next to Scott. They both focused their attention on me. I dodged their bone weapons, wishing I had thought to bring the combat knife that Chris had given me. One caught my left arm, leaving a gash across it. I gave a cry from the pain and backed away, clutching the wound.

“Trish!”

I spun around to face them again. “I don’t go down that easy!”

I used my signature spell against them again as Derek seemed to come out of nowhere and attack from behind. Together we fought them off, me using my magic, Derek with the brute strength and anger I came to expect from him. I was knocked back several feet, landing hard on my back. The Beserker I had been fighting came at me then, going for the killing blow. I threw up my shield. It hit that and bounced backward. Derek vaulted over it and landed between me and it, growling. Then we heard a loud screech. The Beserkers stopped, then retreated. I dropped my shield and staggered to my feet, noticing that whatever this La Loba did to Derek had finally worn off. Or the Berserkers’ blows had triggered Derek back to his adult self. Derek slowly rose from his crouch.

“Derek?” I asked. He slowly started to turn. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t say a word, only flashed his eyes. I’m pretty sure the surprise and shock I was feeling showed clearly on my face. I looked back at the others and Scott, Kira, and Anna’s faces mirrored my exact feelings. I turned back to Derek.

“I don’t know,” he said.

I had to agree. I don’t know if something had been stolen from him, but this shouldn’t be possible. Not after Paige.

Derek’s eyes were glowing yellow.


	4. New Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stilinski investigates a murder. Someone from Trish's past returns. Trish and Scott deal with a dangerous supernatural.

About a week later, Anna and I were in the kitchen getting ready for our days. Anna had school and I was getting ready for a double shift. With Void’s attack on the hospital about three weeks earlier, we were way understaffed until the nurses, orderlies, and doctors killed or injured badly could be replaced. Only a couple of the survivors had returned to work, the rest refused to come back. Anna poked at her cereal and I could tell something was bothering her.

“It’s gonna get soggy,” I said. That simple sentence seemed to help her make a decision.

“Trish, you know a lot about werewolves, right?”

“It’s part of being a Druid, yes.” I was washing my breakfast dishes as we talked.

“I have a question about how they turn someone.”

“Oh?”

“I heard that you can be turned by a scratch. Is that true?”

I turned and looked at her. “Why? Did Scott scratch someone?”

“Not that I know of. But Ethan scratched me once when he was still an Alpha on accident.”

I knew about that. Anna had told me that he’d scratched her when she, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison tried to keep him from killing himself when Jennifer got into his head by putting powdered wolfsbane into Coach’s whistle. The thought of Allison sent a pang of hurt through my chest. That wound still hadn’t healed. But Ethan’s scratch also allowed Anna to discover her self-healing ability.

“Well, you’re obviously not a werewolf. If the scratch is deep enough, maybe. It’s pretty rare.”

“What about kill someone rare? Like an Alpha rips out someone’s throat?”

“That’s beyond rare. There are more True Alphas than werewolves turned…” I trailed off, the sudden flashback filling my mind.

_I staggered to my feet as Allison disappeared into the Hale house. I followed her and found her standing in the hall looking into what used to be the living room._

_Peter had his claws against Kate’s throat. “Say you’re sorry for decimating my family.” I could hear the pain in Peter’s voice. “For leaving me burned and broken for six years.” I saw the tears in his eyes. “Say it. And I’ll let her live.”_

_I could tell that Kate was terrified. I moved to the other side of Allison._

_I’m sorry,” Kate whispered. Her breathing suddenly quickened the moment before Peter ripped out her throat._

_We both gasped and my hands went to my mouth. Kate had a look of shock on her face as she fell. By the time she hit the floor, she was dead._

The bowl I had just finished washing fell from my fingers and into the sink, the realization of what Anna was saying hitting me.

“Son of a bitch,” I whispered. I slowly turned to Anna. “Are you telling me that Kate is alive? That Peter turned her when he ripped out her throat?”

Anna bit her lip.

“That psychotic bitch is a freaking werewolf?! She’s La Loba?!”

“Not exactly?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Deaton thinks she might be a Nagual.”

I closed my eyes. Great, she was a werejaguar. And not just any werejaguar. “That’s even worse.”

“How?”

“The word means ‘trickster witch’, which isn’t a bad way to describe Kate, actually.” Then another thought hit me. “Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“I just remembered something.” I ran upstairs and got Mom’s ritual and spellbook and brought it back downstairs. I opened it on the kitchen table a flipped through it. “You guys said you found Derek in an Aztec temple. Scott and Braeden pulled him from behind a relief of Tezcatlipoca, right?”

“That’s what Braeden said.”

I found what I was looking for and turned it to where Anna could see. “Tezcatlipoca was a jaguar god, the ancient werejaguars worshipped him,” I pointed at the entry. “There is a spell that the Aztec used to make one younger. According to this, it was used by priests when they didn’t have a virgin sacrifice readily available. It doesn’t say anything about it wearing off or how it can be broken. And it definitely doesn’t explain how his teenaged self had blue eyes and then his adult self reverting to gold. And Alan can’t explain it either.”

“Peter said she reverted him back to fifteen so he would trust her.”

“That’s how old he was when they met. When they dated. Before she killed almost everyone.” The last sentence was said with hate. I finally move on from Josh’s death and the bitch had to return to remind me of it.

“She wanted this disk with the triskelion carved in it.”

“What did she want with the medallion?”

“You know it?”

“It’s what the Hales used to teach the younger wolves how to anchor. When they were close to losing control they were to repeat a mantra and focus on that medallion.”

“Was it powerful?”

“It was a cheap souvenir that some Hale bought and told a young wolf that it was magic and if they repeated ‘Alpha, Beta, Omega’ that it would stop their shift. It never worked for Derek and Peter taught him to use anger to stay in control.”

“That actually explains a lot.”

I chuckled, remembering the extremely angry Beta he’d been when he came back to Beacon Hills searching for Laura. I glanced up at the clock. “You need to get to school.”

Anna nodded and grabbed her bag and I took her unfinished cereal bowl, wondering why Anna waited so long before telling me about Kate.

~~~

When I got to work, Melissa immediately pulled me aside.

“Good morning to you, too,” I said.

“You need to see this.”

“Uh, oh.”

Melissa took me to the morgue. Stilinski was already waiting there.

“Yeah, definitely, uh oh.”

Three body bags were laid on the tables. Great way to start out my morning.

“It might be nothing,” Stilinski said. “But you have a little more experience with the supernatural.”

“Because I _am_ supernatural?”

“That too.”

Stilinski unzipped the first bag and I half expected to find Kate’s handiwork. The corpse inside was a middle-aged woman, covered in blood and wearing her nightgown.

“Now I know why he hasn’t spoken a word to the psychologist yet,” Melissa said.

“He’s going to be in shock for a while, isn’t he?”

“Do I need to remind you that I just got in and I have no idea who this is supposed to be and why exactly I’m examining wounds on dead bodies?”

“Kid came in early this morning with his arm cut open. Turned out that he barely escaped a massacre.”

I looked over at the other two bags. “This is his whole family?” I asked.

“Mother, father, older brother,” Stilinski said. “Sean was the youngest and the only one that got away.”

“Dear God.”

“The question is, from what?”

“Not one of us,” I said.

“What do you mean?”

“These wounds aren’t made from claws or fangs.” I measured the length of the wound with my thumb and middle finger. “My guess is an axe or they stabbed and slashed with a knife.”

“Trish is right,” Melissa agreed. “These are deep cuts, a combination of sharp and blunt force trauma.”

“This is old fashioned murder, Sheriff,” I added. “Not my field of expertise.”

“If this is everyday homicide instead of the supernatural kind, then maybe we can give the pack a day off from the world of murder and massacres.”

“When do we get a day off?” Melissa asked.

“Hey, at least you two don’t live it.”

Melissa pointed her thumb at me. “She does have a point.”

Sean wasn’t talking to anyone, he only curled into a ball. One of the orderlies came into the room with his lunch. He looked over at me and I pointed to the tray. He nodded and set it down. I’d been trying to talk to him, but he was having none of it. I noticed how scared he looked.

“Why don’t you try eating something, Sean,” I said. “I’ll come back later and check on you, okay?”

Sean didn’t say anything as I left the room, walking past the deputy on guard outside his room. I turned back around to look at him and saw that he’d slightly relaxed once I was out of the room. Poor kid was so traumatized that anyone coming into the room sent him into hypervigilance.

“Hey, Trish,” Dr. Geyer, one of the new doctors that had been hired after the nogitsune incident, was approaching me. He was black and had a shaved head and a warm smile for everyone. He had the tenderest bedside manner I’d ever seen and almost everyone would open up with him. “How’s he doing?”

“Same as before,” I said. “He’s still won’t talk to anyone.”

“He probably won’t talk for a while.”

I nodded. I understood. “I don’t know if he witnessed their deaths, but losing someone like that leaves a mark.”

“You sound like you know that from experience.”

“I do. I lost my boyfriend to a fire in high school. And I’ve lost other people over the years.”

He nodded, but didn’t ask for details. He handed me a chart. “I talked to the other nurses and they said that you’ve dealt with this young woman before and that she’ll talk to you.”

I opened the chart and saw that it was Amanda. Again. “I’ll talk to her, but it’ll probably be a similar story as the last three times.”

“Thanks.”

I replaced the chart into the bin outside the room. This was the fourth time this year Amanda had been in the hospital with some sort of broken bone or injury. We all knew that her boyfriend kept putting her in the ER, but she swore each time that it was something that she did. I was very tempted to use my powers against him, just to stop his abuse.

“What did he do to her this time?” Melissa asked.

“Broken nose and a concussion. You know I have to call Stilinski.”

"I know. I’ll give him a call. I’m really afraid that she’s going to be in the morgue next time.”

I nodded and Melissa grabbed her phone and went back into the area behind the nurses’ station. I glanced down at my watch. Jordan was going to be meeting me for lunch in a few minutes and I smiled. He was well aware that there was something weird about Beacon Hills and didn’t seem to care. Especially after the whole thing with Derek’s prints matching some random teenage boy that had been arrested for trespassing on the old Hale property. The house had finally been torn down after some teenagers had fallen through the floor while exploring the upstairs. In a way, I was glad the house had been demolished, but part of me was sad to see the house that held so many memories for me lying in piles of wood and stone. Jordan and I met during the whole Nogitsune incident and he was one of the few deputies that hadn’t left their jobs or had been murdered. Stilinski had taken the young deputy under his wing for that very reason and I would joke that Jordan was the sheriff’s sidekick. He had no idea about me or my abilities and I really hoped to keep it that way. At least for a while. Maybe I would do a better job than I had with Anna at that. I turned and my smile disappeared. What the hell was he doing here? An older man with brown hair and blue-green eyes was standing near the nurses’ station. He saw me and smiled. I didn’t return the smile.

“Hi, Trish,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” My tone made it clear I was not happy to see Thomas.

“I heard that you were working as a nurse now. Thought I’d come see you.”

I wondered if Deucalion had something to do with this. “You saw me. Now leave.”

His smile faded. I hoped he wasn’t expecting me to be happy to see him. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s what I meant. I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“I have plenty to say to you. Can we talk somewhere?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I really don’t want to listen to your lies right now.”

“Elizabeth never told you why I left?” How dare he bring Mom into this?

“We didn’t talk about you. It was bad enough you left without a goodbye. And may I point out that I blamed myself thinking I did something.”

“I didn’t leave because of any of you. I wanted to contact you, but believe me or not, I was protecting both of you.”

“From who?” Thomas didn’t answer. “Need a minute to think of a good lie?”

“Trish.”

I held my hand up. “Stop. I’m not talking to you here. In fact, I’m not talking to you at all.” I turned and started to walk the other way.

“Will you at least let me explain to the two of you?”

I spun around. “What’s there to explain? You left! Now you want to waltz back into our lives like you’ve been there all along. You made your choice so you can walk right back out that door and leave again.”

I hadn’t realized I’d raised my voice and I could feel my power beginning to surge from the heightened emotions I was feeling at that moment. The last thing I needed was to flash my eyes for the world to see. Thomas had the sense not to press me, even though my powers didn’t manifest until after he left, so I was pretty sure he was unaware of my status as a powerful supernatural. I glanced behind him to see Jordan walking towards us, a concerned look on his face, no doubt reading my body language.

“What’s going on?” he asked, Deputy Parrish coming to the forefront.

“I was just leaving, Deputy.” He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket. “If you change your mind, Trish.” He held out the card and when I didn’t make a move to take it, Jordan took it. Thomas nodded at him. Then turned and walked away.

I turned away and pinched the bridge of my nose to hide the fact that my eyes were now purple. I closed them, hiding my color change. I needed to get myself back under control. I hadn’t lost control since I first found out I could use magic. Anger was my weakness apparently. Ironic, really. I took several deep breaths before I felt that my magic was under control once more. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Melissa giving me a worried look. She gave a quick nod to let me know that my eyes were back to normal.

“Are you okay?” Jordan asked.

I nodded.

“Who was that?”

“That was my sperm donor.”

Jordan looked back the way he came.

I gave my boyfriend a smile. “You hungry?”

The lunch date with Jordan got me back in a good mood after the sudden reappearance of my sperm donor. I had no idea why he was suddenly back in town after 16 years of silence. His card had said he was a private investigator now. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a Hunter, coming back now after he heard about all the going-ons here. Jordan had urged me to at least consider talking to him and letting him explain.

“Hey, Trish,” Melissa greeted.

I turned my head towards her. “Hey.”

“You okay? You seemed pretty upset earlier.”

“I was,” I stopped. “If I tell you something, can you not mention it to the kids? I don’t want Anna to know yet.”

“Of course.”

“Our dad’s back.”

“What is it with absentee fathers just showing back up?”

I chuckled. “Anna was barely a year old when he left. She doesn’t know him. All she knows of him is pictures.”

Melissa frowned.

“I just need to find out what he’s doing here before I tell Anna.”

Melissa nodded. “I understand,” She then looked at me. “Speaking of knowing, when are you planning on telling your Deputy?” I didn’t have to ask what she meant.

“Hopefully, he’ll never find out.”

“Don’t you think he’ll find out eventually?”

“Anna didn’t find out for fifteen years. And that was because of Peter.”

“But he’ll eventually find out with all the crap you get pulled into.”

I sighed, not wanting to admit she was right. “Well, I don’t want to hit him with that bomb after only dating for three weeks.” We turned the corner to see the Troublesome Twosome at admissions. They saw us.

“Uh…,” Scott said. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Trish.”

A blond boy a couple of years younger than them had his arm draped over Stiles’ shoulder and standing on one foot.

“Oh, boy,” I said. “What did you boys get into now?”

“We were at tryouts and we were doing two-on-ones,” Scott started to explain.

“Two-on-ones are—”

I held my hand up and stopped Stiles’ explanation. “Stiles, I know what two-on-ones are. I dated a lacrosse player.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“It’s not their fault, really,” the boy said. “They were just defending the goal. I flipped over them and hit the ground wrong.”

I then realized that this was Dr. Geyer’s kid. “Ouch.”

Melissa retrieved a wheelchair and I helped Liam to it. Liam seemed a bit upset about having to be here. “Don’t worry, Liam,” Melissa said as she helped him get settled. “We’ll take good care of you.”

I turned to the two. “With you two involved, I have a feeling there’s more to this story.”

“I might have used more strength than necessary on him,” Scott said. He looked like he felt bad about it. “I’m the reason he got hurt.”

“It’s lacrosse,” I said. “Everyone gets hurt at some point.” That didn’t seem to help Scott feel better.

“I got to get going,” Stiles said. “I promised Malia I’d help her study.”

“Sure, I want to check on him anyway.”

Stiles started to walk away then stopped. “Hey, I don’t need to say this wasn’t your fault, too, do I?”

“I don’t know.”

“Scott, if you’d used any wolf power, that kid wouldn’t be limping. He’d be crawling back to the other half of his body.”

“Stiles has a point,” I said. “He would have come here in an ambulance, not Stiles’ Jeep.”

“If I hadn’t been so worried about being captain, he wouldn’t be hurt either.”

“You’re allowed to want something for yourself, Scott,” I said. “Just because you’re an Alpha doesn’t mean you can’t be a teenager.”

“You’re still only human.” Stiles patted him on the shoulder and left.

I had to smile at the phrase he chose to use.

Scott looked at me. “Do you ever want anything for yourself?”

“Because I’m an Eamonn?”

He nodded.

“All the time. Just because I’m always looking out for everyone around me, trying to protect them, doesn’t mean I can’t think for myself once in a while. You need to enjoy being a kid while you still can. I can tell you that adulting sucks.” That drew a laugh out of Scott. “I gotta get back to work.”

“Thanks, Trish.”

I was heading back towards Sean’s room when I suddenly heard a scream and saw Melissa fall through the door from Sean’s room. Sean came out a moment later and grabbed her legs and started to drag her back in.

“No!”

I sprinted towards them, noticing Sean was covered in blood.

“Leave me alone! No!” Melissa was trying to push him off.

I slammed into him and Melissa scooted backward. Sean immediately turned on me, growling. With a strength I wasn’t expecting, he slammed me to the ground. His eyes were white and his mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth.

“Trish!”

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” I had never known of a wendigo being in Beacon Hills.

“I’m so hungry!”

“Well, feed on something else!” I changed my eyes and Sean hesitated. Then I heard Scott roar.

Sean let go of me and I immediately retreated backward as a fully transformed Scott charged.

“You okay?” I asked Melissa as Scott tackled Sean.

Melissa nodded, her eyes wide. She grabbed onto me, too scared and shocked to speak. Sean kicked Scott off and then took off down the hall. I helped her to her feet and Scott turned to us.

“We’re okay,” she breathed.

“Are you sure?”

“Sean’s looking for a meal,” I said. “You have to stop him before he kills someone else.”

Scott looked at his mom. “Go get that son of a bitch.”

Scott growled and took off after Sean.

“Go help him. Stilinski’s on his way. Lydia and Jordan found something and he was going to question him.”

I squeezed her arm.

“I’m alright. Just go keep him from killing my son.”

I nodded and ran after the two boys. I caught up to Scott.

“I lost him,” he said.

“Do you have his scent?”

“Yeah.”

“Then start tracking.”

Scott ran into the stairwell and we heard a cry of pain. Scott hopping the banister and ran up the stairs, me right behind him. Scott burst through the door to the roof. We ran towards Sean.

“Get back!” Sean cried.

“Shit!”

Sean had his arm around Liam’s neck.

“Don’t!” Scott said. “You don’t need to do this! Whatever it is, whatever you are, we can help you.”

“I don’t think you can, Scott. He’s a wendigo.”

“The Eamonn’s right. You can’t help me. Wendigos don’t need help. We need food!”

“Hunting here isn’t helping your case, Sean.”

Liam took that moment to fight back and twisted around, trying to push Sean away from him. Scott took his distraction to leap up and go after Sean. Sean shoved Liam away and I jumped towards him as he stumbled over the edge of the building.

“Liam!” I managed to grab his arm. “Hang on!”

I heard metal crumple and Scott was next to me a moment later. Liam was terrified, but grabbed onto Scott’s outreached arm. We’d have to explain Scott later, but right now I wanted to keep him from falling to his death. I felt pain rip into my shoulder as Sean bit me and I screamed from both surprise and pain. Sean pulled me back and I swung. He grabbed me and threw me. I flew backward, hitting one of the fences surrounding the electrical system. I rolled and coughed, the fencing hitting my back just right to send pain through my whole body. Liam was screaming.

“No!” I staggered to my feet and started to go back towards them.

Suddenly, Sean arched back and I froze. A tomahawk was buried into his back. A bald man dressed in black walked up to him and retrieved it as Scott pulled Liam back onto the roof. He then calmly walked away. I ran to Sean and tried to feel for a pulse. None. I looked back towards the man, realizing this was the guy that had killed Sean’s family. The man turned back towards us and my eyes widened in shock. The man looked at the two of us before bringing his finger to where his mouth should have been. And then disappeared behind a wall. Scott and I looked at one another before I heard Liam. I jumped back onto the upper level where he was and knelt next to him. He was still exclaiming in pain as I moved his hand away, revealing a bite. The Bite.

“Scott, what did you do?”


	5. Muted Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trish struggles to keep Jordan in the dark and protect Derek from an assassin. The teens accidentally throw a party while trying to lure a new wolf to safely ride out the full moon. Lydia, Kira, and Anna make a surprising discovery.

I stood on the roof with my arms crossed while the sheriff’s department swarmed the area. Overhead a helicopter hovered, the spotlight illuminating the roof. I helped Scott sneak Liam off the roof and Melissa and I gave the deputies our statements. Jordan had made sure I was okay first before I led him and Stilinski to the roof. I hadn’t even known about the wendigos being in Beacon Hills, how did the mouthless man know? Why kill a whole family of them? I watched a deputy take pictures and I was glad that Sean’s teeth had retracted back to human ones.

“Hey, let’s get everyone off the roof,” Stilinski said. “And see if you can stall the ME for five minutes.”

Jordan just looked at him.

“I’ve got an expert of my own coming to take a look.”

I managed not to smile. I knew exactly who his expert was.

“You have an expert on teenage cannibals?” Jordan asked.

I snorted a laugh.

“Five minutes, Parrish.”

“Hey,” Jordan got everyone’s attention and motioned them to leave. He turned and put his hand on my back and I started to leave as well.

“Actually, Trish needs to stay,” Stilinski said. “To help give my expert a clearer picture of what happened up here.”

Jordan looked like he was about to protest.

“It’s alright,” I said.

“This guy just attacked you. How can you be so calm and collected? I’d be freaking out.”

“I’ve had a gun to the back of my head and held hostage by a psychotic teenager. I don’t think anything can get more traumatizing than that.”

Jordan didn’t argue with that. “Alright.” He kissed my forehead. “You know where I’ll be.”

I nodded and gave him a smile as he followed the others. Stilinski turned, then jumped. I looked behind me and saw Derek was already on the roof.

“Where’d you sneak in from?” I asked.

“Uh, I guess you’ve been there long enough to hear we need to be quick about this,” Stilinski said as he and I joined Derek next to Sean’s body. “Scott and Trish said he was a wendigo.”

“Cannibalistic shape-shifters,” Derek confirmed. “But I haven’t heard of them in Beacon Hills for a long time. They must have been well hidden.”

“Well enough that I didn’t know they were here, either. There was a whole family of them,” I said. “All four of them were viciously murdered, too.”

Derek suddenly turned around, a look of puzzlement on his face. “How many people were up here?”

“Just me, Sean, Scott, and the killer,” I lied.

“Who apparently has no mouth,” Stilinski added. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

Derek was focused on the ground where Liam had been hanging off the building. He’d know my lie right off. “There was someone else.”

Stilinski turned and looked at me.

“I didn’t see anyone else.”

“Someone young. And male.”

“He must have been up here before us.”

“What are you smelling? His fear?”

“And his blood.” Derek looked at me and I knew he knew I was lying.

Derek met me downstairs, startling the living daylights out of me.

“Damn it, Derek!”

“What were you not wanting to tell Stilinski?”

I glanced over my shoulder, to make sure there was no one around.

“Trish, I smelled his blood and fear. Who else was up there?”

“A kid Sean grabbed. There was a struggle, he almost fell off the roof,” I sighed. “Scott took him to his place to explain to him that he needs to keep quiet about what he saw.”

Derek raised his brows at me.

“He saw Scott in Alpha mode.”

“What about this axe murderer? What can you tell me about him?”

“Bald. No mouth. Really freaky. He threw a tomahawk and hit Sean in just the perfect spot to kill him.”

Derek frowned. “Braeden knew that the Wilcotts had been killed with a military tomahawk, but that wasn’t in the police report.”

“It wouldn’t have been. The ME couldn’t determine the murder weapon,” I paused. “Wait… how did Braeden know?”

“I don’t know. She’s said she had to talk to some people and she’d be back in a week.”

“Hmm.”

“She seems to know a lot of things. Like why I really want to find Kate.”

I looked at him. “Okay, who the hell is Braeden?”

**ANNA**

Lydia, Kira, and I were looking at Lydia’s laptop as a series of numbers, letters and symbols scrolled down the page.

“These are your math notes?” Kira asked. “No wonder Malia’s failing.”

“I’d fail too. I’m barely passing with Lydia’s notes,” I commented.

“Some of them _are_ my notes,” Lydia said. “The rest I think might actually be a code.”

“Like a computer code?”

Lydia nodded.

“You don’t remember writing it?” Kira asked.

“Not in the slightest.”

“Are we doing this again?”

Lydia smirked. “Considering my drawing of a tree led us to the Nemeton, I should probably figure out what it means before it kills us all.”

I nodded. Knowing Lydia, it probably had something to do with her Banshee abilities.

“Maybe it’s like Enigma Code the Allies used,” Kira said. We looked at her. “Remember my dad was a World War II buff? And my mom was, well, in it.”

“I think this is a variation on something called the Vigenere Cipher.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a pretty hard alphabetic cipher. It’s hard to break. Unless you have a key.”

Mrs. Martin chose that moment to walk up to us and hold a set of keys out. We all looked at the key, then up at Lydia’s mom.

“Remember the rules,” she said. “No more than six people allowed in the lake house. Stay out of the wine. And if anything gets broken, it’s getting added to your credit card debt.”

“Fine.” Lydia reached for the keys and Mrs. Martin pulled them back.

“And lock up the basement. From all the scratch marks I found on the walls, it looked like a pack of wild animals got down there.”

I bit my lip. She had no idea we were using the lake house to contain Malia on full moons. Lydia smiled and Mrs. Martin dropped the keys into her hands.

“Anna, get to your seat.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

We looked at each other as Mrs. Martin walked away and I went around the biology table to my seat.

We all met between the school buses for an emergency pack meeting. Apparently, Scott had accidentally bit one of his lacrosse teammates and was now a werewolf.

“We’re going to have to get him to come to the lake house,” Scott said.

“I’m not sharing my basement,” Malia said flatly.

“Actually, it’s my basement,” Lydia corrected. “And my mom noticed how you tore it up last time.”

“Well, if someone had actually secured the chain like they said they had, there wouldn’t have been scratch marks all over the walls,” I said.

“Are you still going on about that?” Stiles asked.

“Yep.”

“We’re going to use the boathouse for Liam,” Scott said. “It’s got support beams. We can chain him to one of them.”

“You know, two years ago, that statement would not have made any sense to me,” I said.

Stiles chuckled.

“But how do we get him out to the lake house if he doesn’t trust us?” Kira asked.

“I say if it keeps him from murdering someone, we just chloroform the little bastard and throw him into the lake.” I smacked Stiles in the back of the head. “Ow!”

“I’m in!” Malia said and I facepalmed.

“We’re not killing or kidnapping him.”

“Says the guy who kidnapped him the first time.”

Scott gave me a look. “I don’t see you coming up with any suggestions.”

“I would suggest Trish’s Druid room, but he’d probably either figure out how to open the door or destroy Trish’s collection of herbs.”

“Then let’s be smarter,” Lydia said. “We tell him there’s a party and we invite him.”

“So you’re going to ask out a freshman?” Stiles asked.

“No, I’m done with teenage boys, but if we’re playing a trick on someone, we’ll have to use the trickster.”

Everyone looked at Kira.

She looked at us before she realized we were talking about her. “Who? Me? No way! Not me.”

“Yes, you,” Lydia said. “Do you know what they call a female fox? A vixen.”

“Me?” Kira looked worried.

“You can do it, Kira. Be a vixen.”

“Crap,” Kira groaned.

I had to see this.

We waited until classes were changing. I saw Liam come out of class with a black boy. The two were talking.

“There he is.”

Kira walked out, looking pretty vixen-like heading down the stairs. Liam stopped in his tracks. Then Kira fell very un-vixen like, landing on her stomach. I groaned. To my surprise, Liam rushed over to her.

“Are you okay?”

Kira crossed her ankles and looked up at Liam, brushing her hair away from her face and putting her chin on her fist. “Yeah. I’m fine,” she said, very flirty like. “You want to go to a party tonight?”

Liam looked surprised. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

I took my phone out and texted the others as the two made plans for tonight.

_The vixen did it. It’s on for tonight._

**TRISH**

I threw open the loft door. Peter was shirtless, leaned against the table. He was in pain, judging by the way he was breathing and his stance.

“What the hell happened?”

“Your friend broke in here last night and attacked Peter,” Derek said.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t stop him to ask,” Peter snapped.

“Okay, yeah. Dumb question.”

Derek came around the table. “The axe was laced with wolfsbane. I don’t know the species.”

“Of course, it was.” I dropped my herb bag, knowing it was going to be useless at this point since Derek couldn’t identify which breed of wolfsbane Peter had been poisoned with.

The wound in the middle of his chest was bleeding freely, his blood black. I was glad Anna was in school and couldn’t see her boyfriend like this. She would be ready to go on her own killing spree.

“I’m going to have to burn it out.”

“Let me guess, you need me to hold him.”

“Pretty much.” He flicked open the lighter.

“I think I can handle a little fire,” Peter said.

Derek gave a tight-lipped smile before holding a blowtorch up and holding the flame up to it, igniting it.

Peter had a slightly terrified look on his face. “Oh, hell.”

“Yeah, I’m going to hold you.” I went behind him and snaked my arms under his.

“Oh, hell. Oh, hell. Oh, hell!”

Derek put the flame to his chest and Peter screamed. I struggled to hold him, even with my magic adding to my strength.

“Let him go.”

I let go and Peter fell. I knelt next to him, his skin healing as I watched. Derek leaned down and offered his hand. Peter took it and Derek helped him to his feet.

“He said he was after you,” Peter said.

“How does a guy with no mouth say anything?” Derek asked.

Peter picked up a keyboard attached to a glove. “With this.”

“With a glove and a keyboard?” I asked.

“He typed into it. I think it was attached to something that spoke for him.”

I took the glove. “We might need to talk to our law enforcement ally about this.”

“You want to involve the cops?”

“I want to involve someone who might know how to find out who this guy is.”

~~~

Stilinski picked up the keyboard. “I still don’t get how this guy has no mouth,” he said. “I mean how does he eat?”

“That’s your biggest concern?” I asked.

“Peter didn’t get a chance to ask,” Derek said. “He was fighting him off with a tomahawk buried in his chest.”

I snickered.

“Yeah, and who runs around with a tomahawk?”

“Apparently, this guy,” I said.

“I carried one for IED removal in Afganastan,” Jordan said.

We all turned to him, none of us realizing he’d walked into the room. I glanced over at Derek. He at least should have known he’d come into the room.

“It’s military.” He walked deeper into the room and pointed at the keyboard in Stilinski’s hands. “So is that.” Jordan stood next to me, taking the keyboard and studying it.

Derek glanced at me. He knew I didn’t want him in our world, but I wasn’t convinced this guy was a supe. “Do you know what it’s used for?” he asked.

“Well, this one looks like it’s modified.” Jordan continued to examine the keyboard.

Stilinski and Derek looked at me. I nodded. We needed all the help we could get. It wasn’t like we had to tell Jordan that we might have someone after supernaturals or that his next target was Derek. Stilinski closed the door and Jordan looked at him with a curious look on his face.

“Show us,” he said.

“Sure, but I’ll need to use your computer to do it.”

“Go ahead.”

Jordan went around to Stilinski’s computer. I found a USB cord for him and we plugged the keyboard into the laptop. “By the way, why are you here?” he asked as he tapped away at the laptop’s keyboard.

“Well, this guy might have broken into Derek’s place and left this behind when his uncle caught him.”

“And you didn’t call the police?”

I looked at him. “Is that a serious question?”

Jordan chuckled and I stepped away so he could work. All three of us watched him. I was impressed with his computer tracing skills.

“Okay,” he finally said. “I think I got an IP address.”

“That means we can find him, right?”

“Definitely. Especially if…” The fingers on the glove suddenly moved.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one who saw that,” I said.

“What was that?” Derek asked. Okay, I wasn’t the only one who saw that.

“I think I found a message,” Jordan said. “Does anyone recognize the handle _Benefactor_?”

“He’s definitely not on my friends’ list.”

“Money transferred,” Derek read the message aloud. “What does that mean?”

Stilinski straightened as I came to a realization. “That means he’s not just a killer.”

“This guy’s an assassin,” I said.

Stilinski nodded. “Which means someone hired him to kill the Wilcotts.”

“But why?” Jordan asked.

I shook my head. It wasn’t exactly a lie. “Wait,” I said, pointing at the screen. “Is that the IP address where he is now? Where he’s logged in from?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s at the school.”

**ANNA**

Scott pulled up the lake house.

“This is a bad idea, Scott,” I said. “This isn’t going to work.”

“I just talked to Kira,” Scott said. “She’s on her way. She said it’s all going fine.”

“So far,” I said.

“It’s not that,” Stiles said. “I have to tell you something.” He reached into his pocket for his phone. “I asked around about Liam. I know why he got kicked out of his last school.”

“This is going to be bad, isn’t it?”

“He kinda got into it with one of his teachers. And… the kid’s got some serious anger issues.”

“How serious?”

Stiles showed Scott his phone. “Well, that’s his teacher’s car.”

We’d all seen the photo already. The car looked like a herd of horses had trampled it.

“After he took a crowbar to it.”

Scott looked at us.

“Yeah…”

“Come on.” We went inside to wait for Kira and Liam.

“Okay is the bag of chains sitting in plain view necessary?” I asked.

“Yep.”

I sighed.

“They’re here.”

Liam and Kira walked through the front door at that moment. Liam had a look of homicide on his face. Stiles gave a wave. Kira shut the door and stood in front of it as Liam turned towards her.

“Sorry,” she said.

He turned back towards us. “What the hell is this?”

“Think of it like an intervention,” Stiles said. “You have a problem, Liam.”

“And we’re the only ones that can help,” Scott said.

Liam crossed his arms.

~~~

Liam just looked at us like we were all crazy. Scott had just explained the supernatural side of Beacon Hills to him and that he was a werewolf and we were his pack, right down to what each one of us were. He conveniently left out me and Stiles. Liam was quiet for several minutes before pointing at Scott.

“Werewolf?” Scott nodded. He pointed at Malia. “Werecoyote,” Malia nodded. “Banshee.” Lydia tossed her head and pointed at him. Liam looked over his shoulder at Kira. “Fox?”

“Kitsune. But fox works.”

He looked over at Stiles and I. “And what are you two?”

“Um… we haven’t exactly figured out what I am yet,” I said. Liam raised a brow. “Well, I come from a family of Druids, but I’m not exactly a Druid. Not like my sister is.”

“But you’re something?”

“I’m something that’s not human. That much we know.”

Liam looked over at Stiles. “And you?”

“Uh, for a little while I was possessed by an evil spirit. It was very evil.”

“No shit,” I muttered.

“What are you now?”

“Better?”

“He’s human,” I said. “Just the normal, everyday, annoying as hell human.”

Stiles pointed at me. “What she said.”

Liam looked down at the bag of chains we usually used for Malia. “Are those for me?”

“No, they’re for me,” Malia said before flashing her eyes at him.

Liam looked like he was about to start freaking out. “How did you do that?”

“You’ll learn,” Scott said. “But first, you need to get through the full moon.”

“The moon’s already out.”

I could feel his anger beginning to flair.

“And you’re starting to feel something, aren’t you?”

“Scott,” I warned.

“I feel like I’m surrounded by a bunch of psychotic nutjobs.”

Stiles leaned over towards me. “He’s getting angry, isn’t he?” he whispered.

I nodded.

“You guys are out of your freaking minds! I don’t know how you did that eye thing and I don’t care.” I knew he was about to go into a shift. “I’m walking out that door right now. If any of you try to stop me, I swear to God, I’m gonna —” He gave a cry and grabbed his head, completely freaking out.

“What’s wrong, Liam?” Scott asked, going towards the younger werewolf.

“I think he’s starting to shift,” I said.

“You don’t hear that?”

Scott turned his head, just as headlights appeared in the window. Liam hit the floor, Scott going down with him.

“Did you tell someone about this?” Lydia asked.

“My friend, Mason.”

I went to the window. “Oh, crap.”

“You said it was a party.”

“Apparently, Mason told the whole school.” I heard scraping.

“The floors!” Lydia said. “Get him off the floors!” She started to go towards him and Liam roared at her. She squeaked and stopped in her tracks.

“Scott, you gotta get him to the boathouse, now!” Scott picked him up, Kira jumping in to help.

Malia doubled over. “Stiles.”

“Yeah?” She turned and gave her own roar. “Hey… Okay. Basement. Now. Now.”

“What am I supposed to do with the hordes gathering outside the door?” Lydia asked.

“Lydia, who throws the best parties in Beacon Hills?”

“What? Me, obviously.”

“Okay, then throw a party.”

Stiles and Malia headed towards the basement and I started to follow.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Lydia grabbed my arm. “You’re going to stay here and help me.”

“I think I’d rather take my chances with the rabid werewolf and coyote.”

“Anna!”

I groaned and headed over to the stereo and started going through the music selection while Lydia opened the door.

“Hey,” a boy greeted. “Uh, are we in the right place?”

“For the party?” another boy asked.

“Absolutely.” Lydia took a step to the side and the horde started cheering. They started to pile in and I knew this was going to be one hell of a long night.

We quickly ran out of drinks and what little food we had was now gone. I was running around, trying to keep the freshmen from destroying anything. Most of them were dancing. A couple was starting to go upstairs. I grabbed the male of the couple by the collar.

“Keep your butt downstairs,” I said. I was getting overwhelmed by all the emotions around me.

“Hey, you okay?”

I looked over at the boy who was speaking and recognized him as the boy that had been with Liam earlier that day. “I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting this many people to come.”

“Social anxiety?”

“What?”

“You don’t like being in large groups. Don’t worry, I’m the same way. I only came because my friend Liam said he was going to be here.”

“Yeah, I’m not really a party person.”

He chuckled. “Yet, you’re hosting a party.”

“Actually I’m just helping my friend throw the party.”

“I’m Mason, by the way.”

“Anna.”

“Nice to meet you.”

I noticed a couple of kids sitting on the back of the couch with their feet in the seat.

“I’m sorry, Mason. Excuse me.” I went over towards them. “That’s not a jungle gym. Get down.” I was starting to feel like a babysitter.

“Let me get you some cash,” Lydia said, before darting out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. A bearded man with a keg of beer on a dolly was standing by the counter. I groaned. Just what we needed. Garrett, one of the new lacrosse team members, walked up to him. He was cute with styled blond hair.

“I opened the wine,” he said, pulling out his wallet. “I should probably pay for the keg.” That was nice of him. He handed the amount to the delivery guy and he unloaded the beer. I went to look for Lydia to let her know she didn’t have to pay for the beer.

**TRISH**

Jordan didn’t want me going to the school, but Stilinski insisted that I could take care of myself. It was getting harder and harder to hide my abilities from my boyfriend. Especially when Stilinski said things like needing me and Derek to go with him. I made up an excuse of knowing a shortcut and being able to move quieter than the police. Jordan believed that. Now Stilinski, Derek, and I were at the school. I grasped my magic as Stilinski pulled out his gun. We pushed open the doors before quietly walking into the school. Derek was way too calm as he walked next to us.

“You know, just because this guy connected to the school’s Wi-Fi, doesn’t mean he’s still here.”

“True,” Stilinski agreed. “But I’ve seen enough in this school to keep a gun in my hand when walking in after dark.”

“He’s right, Derek,” I agreed. “Why do you think nobody will work night security anymore?” I stopped. “Guys.”

The two men stopped as well, seeing the pool of blood under one of the classrooms’ door. Derek’s brows came together and I looked at him.

“That doesn’t make sense,” he said.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Stilinski turned around, shining his flashlight around and looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Why didn’t you smell that?” I asked.

“I… I don’t know. I should have caught the scent before we walked in.”

“Maybe it’s not actually blood?” I suggested.

“Well, it sure looks like blood,” Stilinski said.

Derek put a hand on the doorknob.

“Wait,” I said.

“Hold on.” Stilinski stopped Derek and he looked at the two of us. “You nervous makes me nervous.”

“This is a trap,” I said.

“Is that what your gut says?” Derek asked.

“I think we just did what this guy wanted.”

Stilinski nodded and stepped towards the door, Derek and I took a step back. He shined the light into the room before carefully turning the door handle and cracking the door open, Derek crouching down to look into the room.

“You were right, Trish,” Derek said. “It’s an explosive. A claymore.”

Stilinski pushed the door closed.

“Get down!” Derek shoved me and pulled Stilinski down.

I heard something metal hit the wall and I looked up to see the tomahawk. The Mute jumped down from the stairs, his eyes on Derek before charging at us. I instinctually threw my hands up, throwing a force blast and sending the assassin down the hall. He was back on his feet. He threw something at me and I dodged. I heard it clatter down the hall and knew he’d thrown a knife at me. Stilinski raised his gun and the Mute slammed into him, throwing him the wall of lockers. I darted over to him as the assassin went after his target, two tomahawks in his hands.

“Help Derek!”

I slammed my hands into the Mute’s back, the force slamming him into the lockers. He swung at me and I jumped back. Derek managed to knock one of the tomahawks out of his hand and kick him back. He hit the lockers on the other side and then went after Derek again. I punched him, grabbing the handle of the other tomahawk, then brought my elbow down on his arm. I tossed the tomahawk down as Derek twisted the Mute’s arms behind him. He tried to get away and only stopped when Stilinski pointed his gun at his head.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Stilinski said. He reached behind him and pulled out his cuffs. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney.” Stilinski proceeded to arrest the Mute and Derek’s attention went behind me. “If you cannot afford one…”

“No, Peter!” Derek cried. “No!”

I turned to see Peter charging towards us, his face in a snarl. I dove out of the way as Derek pulled Stilinski out of harm’s way. Peter leapt, claws flashing and then proceeded to tear the Mute apart. We could only look on in horror. I had really thought his homicidal tendencies were behind him. I scooted back towards Derek and Stilinski as Peter literally ripped his throat out. He looked up at us, holding the Mute’s throat. He dropped it as he stood. I was in shock. I really thought Anna had quieted that part of him. Stilinski pointed his gun at Peter as he got up. Derek helped me up as Peter took out a handkerchief and started to clean the blood from his claws and hands. He looked Stilinski in the eye and shook his head. He then turned and started to walk away.

“We’ve learned a better way,” Derek said, angry that Peter had killed the Mute.

“I’m a creature of habit.”

“I…,” I started to say when Peter walked out the door. “I thought he was past homicide.”

Derek looked down at the Mute, his brows together.

“I thought Anna tamed that part of him,” Stilinski said.

“I did, too.” I looked at Derek. “Derek?”

“Trish.” He looked at me, a freaked out look in his eyes. “I can’t smell.”

**ANNA**

“Lydia?” I called. Upstairs was completely abandoned. I heard Lydia’s voice and I could feel panic and upset.

“Okay, let me go get some club soda and salt,” I heard Mason say. “Lydia, it’ll come out. It will. Okay.” Mason walked out of the room a minute later. “Oh, hey, Anna.” He looked over his shoulder at the room he just left. “Lydia’s pretty upset right now. Maybe you can help her calm down.”

I nodded and Mason headed downstairs. I went into the room and saw why Lydia had been upset. There were two glasses on the floor, the wine that had been in them all over the white carpet. I pushed the door to where it would close and went over towards her. But when the door shut, I felt like I suddenly went deaf. I couldn’t hear the music from downstairs anymore. Lydia and I looked at each other. She had a completely confused look on her face. She stood up and went to the door, opening it. The sounds of the party were loud. Lydia closed the door again and they cut off. She opened and closed it again with the same effect.

“Why does your family have a soundproof room?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I… I don’t know.”

She looked around the room before heading towards an old record player, a record waiting to be played. Lydia turned it on. When the needle touched the record, nothing played. My brows came together. I was completely confused. Was this a recording room? I looked over at Lydia, who was looking at the wall like she’d never seen a wall before.

“Lydia?”

Several minutes went by of her just staring at the wall and I was starting to think that maybe she was having a Banshee moment. The door opened and Kira walked in.

“Hey,” she said. “Lydia? Are you okay?”

“I think she hears something. She’s been like this for a few minutes.”

“What do you hear?”

“The key,” she finally whispered. “The key to break the code.”

I ran downstairs and found Lydia’s laptop. I came back and Lydia seemed to break out of her trance long enough to take it. She brought up the code and it ran until it asked for a keyword. Lydia didn’t even look at the keyboard as she typed in seven letters.

_ALLISON_

The moment she hit enter, the code went crazy then started to form names and numbers. As each new name popped up, I began to realize that it was a list of names, each with a number next to it.

_Sean Walcott 250_

_David Walcott 250_

_Michael Walcott 250_

_Christina Walcott 250_

_Lydia Martin 20_

_Scott McCall 25_

_Demarco Montana 250_

_Derek Hale 15_

_Patricia Roberts 17_

_Roxanna Roberts 4_

_Carrie Hudson 500_

_Kayleen Bettcher 250_

_Kira Yukimura 6_

_Elias Town 250_

All of our names were on this list. Someone knew about us. About me. About Trish.

“It’s a list of all the supernaturals in Beacon Hills,” Lydia helpfully pointed out.

“We can see that,” I said.

“It’s a dead pool.” Kira and I looked at each other. “And we’re all on it.”

I looked back at the list of names. Someone wanted us all dead. And I had never been so scared in my life.


	6. An Intense Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon discovering their names on a dead pool, the pack scrambles to discover who the next assassin is. Trish worries about being able to protect the pack. Lydia and Anna make a surprising discovery.

**TRISH**

I wasn’t expecting to see Anna for the rest of the weekend. I knew the pack went to the Martin family’s lake house every full moon so Malia could get through it without killing anyone and that they were trying to draw Liam to it so they could explain to him what happened the night before and what was happening to him. Stilinski had called in Jordan to defuse the claymore in the school.

“That the guy?” Jordan asked when he saw what was left of the Mute.

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s the guy I saw the other night on the roof.”

“What happened to him?”

“We, uh, found him like that.”

“Parrish,” Stilinski called. “Get your gear on and come take care of this thing. Your girlfriend is fine.”

I giggled and Jordan smiled.

“Go do your job and don’t worry about me so much.”

Jordan only smirked. “That’s my job as your boyfriend, isn’t it?”

I laughed and he went to put on his bomb disposal gear. If he knew about the world I’d been born into, he’d be sick with worry.

The sun had risen by the time I got home. I was surprised to see Anna’s car in the garage.

“Anna?” I called when I went inside, throwing my keys into the bowl we kept on a table by the door leading to the garage. “I thought you were going to be at Lydia’s all weekend.”

She basically tackled me with a hug and I wondered if she had somehow found out about my running with Derek and Stilinski tracking down an assassin. She squeezed me and I hugged her back.

“Um, Anna…?”

“Sissy, we have a big problem.”

I didn’t have to be an empath to see she was scared and worried at the same time. “What happened? Did Liam or Malia get away from you guys?”

She shook her head. “Worse.”

“What’s worse than a moon drunk werewolf and coyote?” I kinda wish I hadn’t said that out loud now.

Anna responded by pulling out a folded piece of paper from her back jeans pocket. “Lydia unlocked part of that code she wrote not knowing she wrote it.” Anna had told me about Malia trying to decipher Lydia’s math notes that had turned out to be some sort of code.

I unfolded the paper to find a list of names with a number next to it. I felt like I swallowed a cold rock when I saw most of the pack, including myself and Anna, were on the list. “Why did Lydia have a list of all the supernaturals in Beacon Hills? And what are these numbers for?”

Anna bit her lip. “That’s why this is worse than Malia and Liam rampaging. It’s not just a list. It’s a dead pool.”

“Why the hell are you on a dead pool? Why…,” I trailed off, my mouth working as I came to a realization. “Oh, God!” I looked back down at the paper. Everyone I loved was on this list. My family. My pack.

“But I have some good news that might help us out,” Anna said. “Chris is back.”

“Does he know about Kate?”

“That’s… why he’s back.”

I groaned. First Kate coming back from the dead, then Thomas showing up suddenly. Now I was going to have to fight even harder to protect my pack and family from random assassins trying to kill them, all while trying to keep my boyfriend from finding out about me. Why the hell did the Universe decide to pile all this crap on me now? I think I liked it better when all I had to worry about was Hunters and paying my bills on time.

~~~

I once again found myself in the sheriff’s office two days later. Another name had been crossed off the list and Scott and Stiles thought that Stilinski needed to know about the dead pool. Anna and Kira were at the lake house with Lydia as she tried to unlock more names.

Stilinski just looked at us. “What do you mean you can connect these murders?” he asked.

“They’re all supernaturals,” I said.

“How do you know? Is that some Eamonn ability?”

“So, the Walcotts were the first,” Stiles started explaining.

“Wendigoes,” I added.

“At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute.”

Stilinski looked at me.

“Derek and Peter are part of the pack,” I explained. “They deserved to know that they were attacked and this guy was after Derek.” I looked at Stiles. “Although I never told him I called him the Mute.”

“Chris heard about him,” Scott explained. “He’s pretty well known apparently. Specializes in supernaturals.”

“Hmm.”

“Weapon of choice,” Stiles continued. “A military tomahawk.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

Stilinski snorted a laugh.

Stiles ignored us. “But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale.”

“Pretty thoroughly, might I add,” Stilinski said.

“After he tried to blow up Derek and Trish with a Claymore mine.”

“And your dad,” I added.

“Next was Demarco.”

“Werewolf.” I wondered how Stiles could focus so well on mysteries and solving crimes but not on school.

“He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia’s lake house. And got decapitated outside his car. And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson.”

“Also a werewolf.” Scott had caught the scent of werewolf on both of them.

“Do you have a point to your list of victims, Stiles? And Trish’s commentary?”

“It’s a dead pool,” Scott said. “It’s a hit list of supernatural creatures.” He unfolded the list and handed it to Stilinski. “This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded.”

“Who found this list?”

“Lydia,” Stiles answered.

“How?”

“She wrote it. Actually, she transcribed it. Without realizing it.”

“Banshee?”

“Ten points to the sheriff,” I said.

He then looked at me. “I’m going to assume Roxanna is your sister.”

“Yeah, that’s why she prefers to be called Anna.”

“Why is she on here? I thought she was human.”

“Yeah, we have no idea what Anna is.”

“Beautiful.” He looked back at the list. “What are all these numbers next to the names?”

“We’re getting to that,” Stiles said. “First, you need to know that the code was broken with a cipher key.”

“Wait. You mean like a… like a keyword?”

“It’s actually a name.”

“Allison,” Scott said and I looked over at him.

I could see the pain on his face as he said her name. The first girl he truly loved. Who died in his arms over three weeks earlier. I looked down. He was still mourning her. I knew exactly how he felt. I just hoped he wouldn’t wait seven years before moving on like I did. Everyone was quiet for several minutes.

“Her name broke a third of the list,” Stiles said.

“And now we think there’s two other cipher keys,” Scott added.

“Which will give us the rest of the names.”

“Hopefully before they start dropping like flies,” I said.

“So how do we get the cipher keys?” Stilinski asked.

“Same way we got the code,” Stiles said.

“The Banshee,” I said.

“She’s been at the lake house all weekend trying to find the other two keywords.”

Stilinski looked at the crime scene photos on his desk. “None of you knew about Demarco or Carrie?”

“I knew there was a pack about thirty minutes out of Beacon Hills,” I said. “I’ve only met their Alpha, never any of the pack.”

Stilinski nodded. “What about these other two?” He looked at the list again. “Uh, Kayleen Bettcher and Elias Town.”

“I don’t know them. And neither one of them are the Alpha I know.”

“Could they be in this Alpha’s pack?” Stilinski looked at Scott.

“I don’t know,” the Alpha said. “But Deaton said that the Nemeton would draw supernatural creatures here.”

“Here being Beacon Hills? Or Beacon County.”

“Probably,” I said. “This town seems to be Supernatural Grand Central Station now.”

“The population of Beacon Hills is just under 30,000.”

“And dropping.”

Stilinski and I both gave Stiles a look.

“But if we’re talking Beacon County,” the Sheriff continued. “Then you’re looking at close to 500,000.”

“Shit,” I breathed. “I can’t protect that many people on my own. Even if half of that is supernatural. It’s impossible.”

“Then you just focus on the pack, Trish,” Stilinski said. “How many werewolves, banshees, kitsunes, Eamonns, and whatever the hell else is out there are we talking about?”

I pulled my bag around and pulled out my bestiary, dropping it on his desk with a loud thud.

“Forget I asked.”

“Do you actually carry that around with you?” Stiles asked.

“This was a special occasion.”

“What happens if the next cipher key uncovers not twelve names but a hundred?” Stilinski asked.

“We don’t think there would be that many,” Stiles said.

“There’s a limit,” I added.

“Because of the numbers,” Scott put in. “We think that once we decode the names, the numbers will add up to 139.”

“139 what?”

“Million.” Stiles took the list and started writing K’s and M’s next to each number. “One hundred thirty-nine million dollars, Dad. Stolen from the Hale vault and is being used by someone to finance all these murders.”

“Someone who wants every supernatural in Beacon Hills dead,” Scott said.

“The Benefactor,” I said.

“So the coded list goes out,” Stilinski said. “And somehow these professional assassins get that list.”

“And a cipher key,” Stiles added.

“And then they go after the names on the list. They being killers with no mouths, tomahawks, thermos-cut wires that can take your head off.”

“Let me see,” Stiles thumbed through the pictures. “Carrie was also stabbed.” He pointed to an octagonal shape on her body around he stab wounds. “What’s this mark?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Stilinski said. “We’re waiting on the M.E.’S report. There’s one other thing I don’t get. How did this new assassin know that Demarco was going to be at the lake house?”

“Everyone knows he delivers kegs to teenagers for a little extra cash.”

“Ah.”

“Apparently everyone except the cops,” I said.

“So whoever ordered that keg killed Demarco.”

“Yeah, it was someone at the party,” Stiles confirmed

“Are you saying there’s some teenaged assassin walking around the school knowing exactly who and what you guys are?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“Shit.”

**ANNA**

Lydia had been trying all weekend to figure out the next cipher key. Not everyone had been on the list, but I was expecting Malia, Liam, and Peter to show up somewhere. Lydia thought maybe she could do like she had with the Nemeton and draw a clue to the key. Lydia was sitting at an easel with a blank canvas. I was sitting at the table nearby idly flipping through an art book. Malia was hovering around Lydia and looking over her shoulder.

“Please stop hovering,” Lydia suddenly said.

I looked up to see Malia was right on top of Lydia.

“I’m not hovering,” Malia said. “I’m waiting.”

“She can’t focus if you’re right on top of her like that, Malia,” I said.

“Draw something. Write something. We need to know who else is on that list.”

“You mean, you need to know if you’re on the list,” Lydia said with a sigh.

“If someone’s coming to take my head off, then yeah, I’d like to know.”

I snorted a laugh and Lydia glared at me.

“Don’t encourage her.”

“Come over here and let her focus.”

Malia looked between the two of us. I pulled out the chair next to me. “I’m fine right here.”

“Please sit down,” Lydia said. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Oh.” Malia went over to the chair I’d pulled out and sat. “Sorry.” She leaned over and looked at the book I was looking at as I flipped through. “Lydia.”

“What?”

Malia didn’t answer at first and I looked at her. I could see the wheels turning. She reminded me of her dad just then.

“Oh, my God, what?!”

“Maybe we need help.” She pushed the book towards Lydia. The page was open to a chapter on German Expressionism, a painting of a screaming woman on the opposite page. “From another Banshee.”

“Meredith.”

“But how?” I asked. “She’s locked up in Eichen House.”

“I know.” The bell rang and we left the art room. “They say Meredith can’t have visitors without permission from a family member.”

“I’m pretty sure none of them are going to give you permission,” I said drily.

“Exactly, since her whole family is dead.”

“Perfect.”

“Okay, maybe we go back to the art room?” Malia suggested. “Or music room?”

“Oh, crap,” I said.

Lydia spun around. “I’m not plucking piano strings for two hours waiting for some supernatural inspiration.”

I bit my lip.

“Fine. What else do Banshees do?”

“Malia,” I warned.

“You think I know?”

Malia threw her hands out slightly, prompting an explanation and I sighed.

Lydia was frustrated. “I can’t just turn this on. I’m not like you guys. I don’t have claws, or glowing eyes, or super senses. I just have voices in my head.”

Malia looked around to see if anyone heard her. Two boys were staring at us and Lydia walked away, upset.

“Malia, we really need to work on that brain mouth thing.”

“What brain mouth thing?”

“Thinking before you speak.” I followed after Lydia. I heard Malia sigh and run after us.

I stopped in my tracks, feeling extreme anger.

Malia stopped as well. “Anna?” It felt the same as when we told Liam about us, right before he shifted.

“Go after Lydia. I’ll catch up to you guys later.” I took off in the direction I was feeling the anger.

The Davenport Prep team was getting off their bus and several students were gathering to watch them. Scott and Stiles were two of them. Liam was standing in front of a blond-haired player with his hand out.

“Is that what they told you to say in Anger Management?” he asked.

I ran over to Scott.

“Apologize and everything’s fine?”

“Big problem,” I whispered.

“What?” Scott asked.

I pointed over at Liam. “That right there.”

“You demolished Coach’s car,” the blond kid said.

“I paid for it,” Liam said.

“Yeah, you’re going to pay for it. We’re going to break you in half out there.”

“Scott. Now.”

“And it’s going to be all your fault.”

Scott took off. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Scott and I pulled Liam back. “Let’s go.”

“Hey, what’s going on, prep students?” Stiles said. “Welcome to our little public high school. How are you doing?” Stiles held his hand out. The kid just looked at him. “Stiles. Nice firm handshake you got there.”

I snorted a laugh.

“Uh, we’re very excited for the scrimmage tonight. Uh, but let’s keep it clean, alright?” That’s our Stiles. The welcome wagon of Beacon Hills High School. “No rough stuff out there. Alright, see you on the field.” He turned. Scott and I still had a hold on Liam. “Go.”

I gave the lacrosse team a wave before we took off with Liam.

We took off to the boys’ locker room. I went right in there with the boys, turning the water on and helping them stuff Liam under the stream to cool him off. Literally and figuratively. Liam growled the entire time.

“Okay, you calm yet?” Stiles asked.

“Hell, no!” I said as Liam roared.

We shoved him back under the water. He tried to bite me and I slapped him. Hard. This brought him out of the shift from the sheer surprise.

“Dude, did you just slap a werewolf out of a shift?” Stiles asked.

“I should try that more often.” I backed away. “He’s calm now.”

Scott and Stiles let him go and Scott turned off the water. Liam walked over to the opposite wall and slid down it.

“That car you smashed,” Scott said. “I thought you said that was your teacher’s.”

“He was also my coach. He benched me for the entire season.”

I blew air out thought my mouth. This was just great. “You vandalized his car because he benched you?” I asked.

“What did you do?”

“I got a couple of red cards.”

“Just a couple?” Stiles asked.

Liam didn’t answer. He barely looked at us, like he was ashamed.

Scott crouched down in front of him. “You gotta be honest with us. What else happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Liam,” I said.

Stiles pointed at me. “We may not know what Anna is, but what we do know is she’s empathic and basically a human lie detector.” Okay, I wouldn’t have called myself a lie detector, but I wasn’t going to dispute that while we were trying to get the full story out of Liam.

“I got kicked out of school. They sent me to a psychologist for evaluation.”

“What did they call it?” Scott asked.

“Intermittent Explosive Disorder.”

“I.E.D.?” Stiles said. “You’re literally an I.E.D.? That’s great.” We all looked at Stiles. “That’s great. You gave superpowers to a walking time bomb.” He gave Scott a thumbs up and Scott rolled his eyes at him.

“You’re not helping, Stiles,” I said.

Scott turned back to Liam. “Did they give you anything for it?”

“Risperdal. It’s an antipsychotic.”

“Oh, this just gets better.”

“Shut it,” I said.

“But I don’t take it.”

“Obviously!” I gave Stiles a look. “What?”

“I can’t play lacrosse on it. It makes me too tired.”

“Okay,” Scott said. “I think you should bail out of the game. Tell Coach your leg is still hurting.”

“No!” Liam got up. “No! I can do this.”

“I can talk to Trish,” I offered. “Maybe she can come up with something that can help without making you tired.”

“Who’s Trish and why would she do that?”

“She’s my sister and a Druid. She can make an herbal antipsychotic for you.”

Liam snorted.

“She’s also an Eamonn, which means she’ll kick your ass into next week.”

Liam decided not to press his luck with another comment. He looked at Scott. “I can do this. Especially if you’re there.”

“It’s not just about the game. We think whoever killed Demarco might be on our team.”

“Oh, lovely!” I said. “When were you planning on telling the rest of us about this?”

“Before the game.”

“Who’s Demarco?” Liam asked.

“The one who brought the beer to the party,” Stiles said. “They guy who was beheaded. Remember?”

“We think the person who ordered the keg killed Demarco.”

Realization came over me and Liam seemed to have the same thought.

“What?” Scott asked upon seeing the looks on our faces.

Liam and I looked at each other.

“Do you two know something?”

“I don’t know who ordered the keg,” Liam said. “But I know who paid for it.”

“Who?”

“Garrett,” I said. “I watched him give Demarco the money for it.”

**TRISH**

Anna had filled me in on everything she’d learned today, including who the newest assassin was. We both had a bad feeling someone else on the list was going to die tonight. Especially if the assassin was who they thought it was. I went to the game and made a mental note to look through Mom’s recipe book to find a mixture to help with Liam’s anger. Anna was going to come with Lydia and Malia. I saw most of the team was gathered at the bench. I made a beeline to Scott and Kira, who had joined the team. I put my hands on their shoulders. Anna had described this Garrett kid to me.

“You guys sure you want to do this?” I asked.

Scott nodded. “We have to.”

“You know there’s a huge chance that you’re going to be the target tonight.”

“I know.”

“Keep your guard up. I really don’t think I’m going to be able to protect you while you’re on the field.”

Scott nodded again. “I’m more worried about Liam.”

“Yeah, that might be a problem. I remember how you almost wolfed out on your first post Bite lacrosse game.”

Scott gave a laugh. That seemed like ages ago.

“I haven’t felt this intense about a game since the championship,” I added.

“No kidding.”

“I’m lost here,” Kira said.

“We had a Hunter with a Kanima and threatening to have him kill people if Scott didn’t give up Derek, who was an Alpha at the time.”

“Oh,” Kira paused. “Still slightly confused.”

“Survive tonight and I’ll tell you the story about my time as an Emissary with an Alpha that wouldn’t listen to me.”

Scott snickered. I looked up to see one of Davenport Prep’s players, a built blond teenager, looking at me like he was studying me. He had his shirt in his hand. It made me slightly uncomfortable.

“Hey, Dad,” Stiles was saying as he approached us, his phone to his ear. “You’re supposed to be here to give Trish backup. Where the hell are you?” He gave a frustrated grunt as he tapped the phone and flopped down on the bench. “He’s on his way.”

“Hey, who’s the blond kid on the other team?”

Stiles and Scott looked across the field. He now had on his shirt and was buckling on his shoulder pads.

“Brett Talbert,” Stiles looked at me. “Why? You know him?”

I shook my head. “He just keeps looking at me like he’s watching me for some reason.”

“Maybe he knows you.”

I shrugged. “That’s possible.”

“Let’s go!” Coach suddenly shouted.

“We’ll be alright, Trish.”

“I hope so.”

Scott got up and headed towards Coach.

“Let’s go, come on!” Scott stopped him. “Hey, McCall, I said get your ass out on the field.”

“But, Coach, his leg’s still healing. I don’t think he should play.” I realized that Scott was trying to keep Liam out of the game.

“He said it’s fine.”

“As Captain, I’m suggesting Liam sit out of the game.”

Coach laughed. “And as, uh, President of the United States, I’m vetoing that suggestion.”

“What if he gets hurt?”

“Hey, Liam!” Brett suddenly called. “Think fast!” Brett threw a ball at Liam and his quick werewolf reflexes caught it.

“Shit,” I whispered.

“Oh, he plays.”

Liam put his helmet on.

“There you go, Liam!”

“Oh, this is going to end badly,” I groaned.

I was keeping my eye on the wolves and Garrett as the game progressed. When I received a text from Anna informing me that Stilinski wasn’t coming.

_What? Why?_

_Meredith showed up at the station. Lydia, Malia, and I are heading over there_

_Why are you guys going to the station?_

_We were kinda needing another banshee. I’m sorry, Sissy. You’re on your own tonight._

_Of course, I am._ I set my phone in my lap and rubbed my temples.

“Run, Kira!” Stiles shouted. “Run, Kira, run!”

Kira took off, Coach shouting at her to pass the ball. She scored instead, the crowd cheering. The Cyclones had finally scored a point.

“Yukimura!” Couch shouted. “Get over here!”

I couldn’t hear what was being said, but when Coach motioned to the bench, I realized that he just pulled her from the game.

“Crap.” Without Kira on the field, we had one less person keeping tabs on Liam and Garrett.

**ANNA**

With Trish at the game, I went with Lydia and Malia to the sheriff’s station. Meredith had shown up there asking for Lydia.

“Good, you’re here,” Stilinski said. He led us back towards his office. “I’m aware this is probably about the dead pool but I can’t let her leave the station. And in about a minute, I’m gonna have to call Eichen House and let them know that she’s here.”

“Give us an hour,” Lydia said.

“You got fifteen minutes.”

“Fine.”

Stilinski stopped me. “I really wish your sister had come.”

“She’s a little busy being an Eamonn right now.”

“Of course, she’s doing my job again.”

I smiled and went into the room as Jordan approached Stilinski.

“You called Lydia?” he asked Stilinski turned to his deputy.

“Yeah.”

“Because Meredith asked for her or because of the other thing?”

“What other thing?”

Jordan paused for a moment before looking around and I was starting to wonder what exactly he’d figured out since the nogitune incident. Trish was trying so hard to keep him in the dark about the secret side of Beacon Hills and I promised to help her do so. “The psychic thing.”

Yeah, we had nothing to worry about.

“You think Lydia’s psychic?”

“Do you?”

“No, I do not. I think that she is, uh…,” he searched for the word to use. “Intuitive.”

“That’s what they used to call psychics,” Jordan countered. “Intuitionists.” None of us could argue with that logic.

“Yeah. And I used to call myself a rational human being. Get in here and shut the door.”

As long as nobody mentioned Eamonn, supernatural, and Trish in the same sentence, I was sure my sister wouldn’t kill us. Jordan shut the door and Stilinski sighed.

“Ask what you need to ask,” Stilinski said.

Lydia only held her phone out. Meredith looked at it, then looked at Lydia. Then she smiled and took it. I was confused at first, then I remembered how she used the phone as a channel for her ability. But Meredith just sat there with it in her hand.

“Meredith, aren’t you going to answer it?” Lydia asked.

Meredith got up and leaned close to Lydia. “It’s not ringing,” she whispered.

Malia looked completely confused and started to open her mouth. I touched her arm and shook my head. She closed her mouth and nodded.

Lydia knelt next to Meredith. “Meredith,” she started. “You came here to help us, remember?”

“You called me,” Meredith smiled.

“What do you mean I called you?”

Meredith lowered her voice to a whisper. “I heard you.”

I leaned down. “The art room.”

“Meredith, can I ask you a question?” Jordan asked.

_Oh, no._

She nodded, a look on her face that said she liked what she saw.

He crouched down next to Lydia. “When you need help, when you need to find something.” I just looked at him. What did he know? “Is there someone you reach out to? Maybe someone you call.”

“It depends. Different people for different things.”

“So maybe there’s a number that can help us? Someone we can call.”

Trish was going to crap a patio set once she heard about this. He was helping us perfectly without knowing how he was helping us.

“Yes.”

“Would you be okay telling us?”

“Yes.”

Lydia took her phone back.

“It’s two, four, three, six.” She smiled proudly, like she’d just won a trophy.

“Mer,” Malia said. “We need a few more numbers.”

“No. That’s the number.”

“Phone numbers are ten digits.”

“That’s the number.”

“Meredith,” Lydia said. “Phone numbers always have ten digits.”

“Guys, enough,” I said. I could feel Meredith was about to start panicking.

“That’s the number.”

“Meredith….”

I looked over at Stilinski, giving the signal to cut this short. He knew about my ability and stepped in. “Lydia,” He helped her to her feet. “Hey. Come here.”

Lydia sighed. I could feel her frustration and I took her arm. I shook my head, knowing Meredith was at her limit.

“I think that’s the best we’re going to get,” Stilinski said.

“No, there has to be more.”

“Lydia, don’t,” I warned.

“What’s the rest of it, Meredith?”

I stepped between the two Banshees, probably a bad place to be since I didn’t know what Meredith could do or how loud her scream would be. “Lydia, stop!”

“Just concentrate!”

“Stop!”

“That’s… That’s it. That’s the number,” Meredith insisted.

“Just concentrate.”

“That’s the number.”

“She’s at her limit!”

Lydia turned and walked over to the desk.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Stilinski said. “We’re gonna get you…”

“That’s the number!” Meredith screamed.

I touched her arm and it suddenly felt like it had fallen asleep and the pins and needles sensation went through it. “We know,” I said softly, ignoring the weird feeling.

Meredith looked at me, almost like she’d never seen me before and her face softened. She grabbed my other hand and the same feeling went through it as we sat down. “That’s the number,” she whispered.

“I know, Meredith.”

Jordan was giving me a curious look. I had no idea how I just calmed her down. Maybe this was another clue to what I was.

**TRISH**

Several players collided, Liam ending up vaulting over Brett. I heard cries of pain and I jumped up, darting to the field.

“Brett, you okay?” The other player was hurt bad.

“Okay, back off!” Coach yelled.

Scott pulled Liam to his feet and away.

“Back off!”

“How hard did you hit him?” Scott asked. I looked over at Brett as his teammates gathered around him to make sure he was okay.

“I didn’t.” He held his obviously broken arm to where only we could see it. “He hit me.”

“Ow,” Stiles said.

Scott looked around before throwing his gloves off and putting his hands around the break. “Trish, go make sure Brett’s okay.”

I nodded and headed towards the small crowd. I heard Liam give a cry a second later. “Move, I’m a nurse.” I pushed my way through to Brett. He was wreathing on the ground. “You gotta stay still, Brett.”

He looked like he was trying to tell me something but the pain was preventing it.

“Alright, Brett,” the EMT said. “We’re gonna pick you up now.”

I helped him and one of the referees pulled Brett to his feet. He was favoring his right leg. The two draped Brett’s arms around their shoulders.

“We got it from here.”

I nodded and watched them go. Brett was dragging his leg. I glanced over towards Garrett just in time to see his hidden knife shoot back into his lacrosse stick. I went back to Liam and Scott. “Do either one of you have knicks?”

Scott shook his head. “Liam, did Garrett cut you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then he missed.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s you, Liam. You’re the one he’s after.”

“We don’t know that, Scott,” I said. “It doesn’t make sense for him to miss. Not when you were right there.” Whistles were blown and players started to go back to their sides.

“How did they know?” Liam was about to start panicking. “How could they have known?”

“I don’t know,” Scott said.

I went with them to the bench. “Scott, why go after Liam when you’re on the field. You’re number one on the list. Why go after a Beta when there’s a twenty-five million payday running around with him?”

“Not really helping here,” Stiles said.

“No,” Scott said. “She’s right.”

“She is?”

“Why go for newly turned Beta, when you have a True Alpha.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Especially if he has wolfsbane on the blade.” I glanced towards where they had taken Brett, having a sudden thought. “I’ll be back.”

“Wait!” Liam cried. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t answer only headed towards the locker rooms.

The moment I walked into the hall I felt something wasn’t right. It was way too quiet. I grasped my magic, the feeling growing stronger. Then I heard the voices.

“It won’t kill you,” I heard a girl say, then I heard a snap. “But this will.”

“Why? Why are you doing this?” Brett asked.

“Because you’re worth a lot of money, Brett.”

I realized that Garrett had a partner and I didn’t have time to warn Scott. I ran in and saw a black girl had a wire around his neck, it burning red hot.

“Hey!” I said. She stopped and I walked into the room. “Why don’t you pick on someone that can fight back?”

She let Brett go with a smirk. “Oh, you’re worth a lot more than he is.” She spun the wire around. “A rare Druid.”

“Is that all you know about me?” She attacked and I easily deflected her. “I’m also much older than you and I’ve probably been in a lot more fights than you have.”

She attacked again and I slammed her to the ground. She kicked me off and I landed on my feet.

“Well, I’ve been doing this a long time. So I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

I smirked. “So do I.”

We tussled. She was quick, and nearly managed to get behind me until I threw her back across the room with one of my force spells. I immediately went to check on Brett. The assassin ran at me, slamming me across the side of my head with a lacrosse stick hard enough for me to see stars. Then she backed off. I pressed my palm to the place where she hit me, then looking at my hand, seeing the red stain on my hand. I let out a curse. Then Scott showed up. He ran into the room, looking down at Brett. Then he saw me.

“Trish?”

I had put my hand back to my head. “Get out of here! She’s still here.”

“Who?”

The assassin put the bolo around his neck. I staggered to my feet.

“He said we shouldn’t try,” she said. “But now I’ve got you. I got an Alpha.”

Scott’s eyes turned red and he pulled the wire, effortlessly pulling it away from her. She looked slightly terrified.

“He’s not just an Alpha,” I said as Scott turned around, growling.

He snapped the wire and grabbed her by the throat.

“He’s a True Alpha, bitch.”

Scott threw her back and she hit the wall hard enough to crack the tile and knock her murderous ass out.

Stiles stumbled into the room, an impressed look on his face. “How did you know?” he asked me.

“When I mentioned about the blade being poisoned. Garrett didn’t miss. He got who he was aiming at.” I checked Brett’s pulse. “I don’t know what species he used but we need to get him to Alan.”

Scott looked at Stiles. “And you need to call your dad.”

**ANNA**

“You know how fragile she is,” I said as Stilinksi and Jordan took Meredith to wait for the Eichen House staff.

“I know,” Lydia rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I just thought she might help us. Give us someone else to call.”

Malia was pacing back and forth. She stopped and grabbed the paper we’d written the number on and crumbled it, then froze. “Lydia.” Lydia looked like she was about to stab her. “What if it’s like algebra?”

“What do you mean?”

Malia turned the phone around. “What if the numbers are actually letters?” She’d seen the letters on the number pad and it had given her the idea. I sure hadn’t thought about that.

Lydia saw where she was going and grabbed a pad, writing the corresponding letters down. “Oh, God,” she whispered.

I was confused. Until she circled the A, I, D, E, and N. “I hate whoever this guy is. That is so wrong.”

First Allison, now Aiden. Both members of the pack that had died recently. Lydia pulled her laptop out and pulled up the dead pool waiting until the keyword prompt came up. She typed in her former boyfriend’s name and hit enter.

_Kate Argent 12_

_Noshiko Yukimura 5_

_Joanne McLaughlin 1_

_Steve Grace 1_

_Tom Hill 1_

_Brett Talbot 1_

_Thomas Roberts 1_

_Reed Schall 250_

_Richard Benefield 250_

_Jack Marsland 250_

_Joy Waldrop 250_

_Cheryl Calix 250_

My brows knit together at seeing my dad’s name on the list. With the way the rest of the family was, it shouldn’t have surprised me to see him, but I wondered if that was another secret of Trish’s. Trish hated our dad and refused to talk about him and I didn’t know him at all. He was just a name on my birth certificate and a picture on the wall.

“Is Thomas related to you and Trish?” Lydia asked.

“That’s my dad’s name, but I don’t know if that’s him or not.” I continued to read down the list until I came to a name that made my jaw drop. Lydia and I looked at each other as Malia went to call the others about the updated list. “Trish is going to croak.”

“No kidding,” Lydia agreed.

“She lost Josh.” I was about to be in panic mode, terrified at how Trish would react. “She can’t lose —” I cut off when Jordan opened the door and Lydia quickly closed the laptop.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was just seeing if you guys were okay. Need a ride home?”

“Uh, no. We’ll be fine.”

“Anna?”

“I rode with them.”

He nodded and closed the door. Lydia opened the laptop again. I knew she’d closed it so he wouldn’t see the list of names. And the one I was terrified of Trish seeing.

_Jordan Parrish 5_


	7. Banshees and Berserkers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna, Stiles, and Lydia try to find the final key. Scott, Chris, and Trish track down a missing pack member.

**TRISH**

We’d rushed Brett to the animal clinic in my car. On the way, he’d started seizing and coughing up a yellow substance. Derek met us and helped get Brett inside. Derek, Stiles, and I were trying to hold him down, but he had a strength I hadn’t come across.

“What the hell is happening to this kid?” Stiles asked as we struggled to hold him while Alan worked.

“He’s been poisoned by rare wolfsbane,” Alan answered.

“Much rarer than Nordic Blue,” I said. “I’ve never actually seen this one in practice.”

“I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible.”

“Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength?” Stiles said.

I glanced up at Derek.

“Yeah, I’m not the only one here with werewolf strength,” he snapped.

I added to my strength, trying to hold him.

“If you can’t hold him still, the incision might kill him,” Alan warned.

“I think he’s slipping,” Stiles said. “I don’t think I can hold him.”

I jumped to Stiles’ side and pressed into Brett’s shoulder. Brett got loose and pushed us back. I jumped back in and got claws to the shoulder. “Ah!” I clutched my shoulder.

Peter seemed to come out of nowhere and clocked Brett, knocking him out.

I dove for Brett. “He’s not breathing.”

“I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself,” Peter commented.

“Yeah, maybe more than a little,” Derek commented.

I looked up as Alan made the incision he needed to and see Derek was looking at his arm where Brett had scratched him. Brett gasped and I pushed Stiles back as a yellow mist came out of the wound.

“Is he okay?” Stiles asked.

“He will be,” I said.

Derek looked down at his arm again and the scratches finally healed. Peter looked concerned and I realized he’d seen it too. He looked over at me and he realized I knew about Derek’s problem.

Brett started whispering.

“Guys, can you hear that?” Stiles asked. “I think he’s trying to say something.”

I leaned down to hear him better.

“The sun… the moon… the truth,” he kept repeating and my eyebrows rose.

“Three things cannot be long hidden,” Alan started.

“The sun, the moon, and the truth,” I finished.

“It’s Buddhist.”

“He’s one of Satomi’s Betas.”

“How do you know that?” Stiles asked.

“I knew Satomi. I haven’t seen her since I was a teenager.”

“Wait…,” Stiles held his hand up. “Is this the same Satomi that was in the internment camp with Noshiko when the whole nogitsune thing went down?”

“Satomi Ito,” Peter said.

~~~

I was exhausted when I got home. Anna was still up when I walked in.

“Oh, good!” she said. “You’re home!”

“Was Meredith able to help you guys with the cipher?”

“Yeah. But I found out something new about me.”

I just looked at her.

“Well, she started freaking out because Lydia was pushing her and I found out that I can calm people down with a touch.”

“Really?”

“And I can also slap a werewolf out of a shift.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Do I want to know?”

“Well, apparently Davenport Prep is Liam’s old school and Brett laughed at him when he told him to have a good game and he got mad enough to almost shift so we took him to the locker room showers to cool him off. He tried to bite me and I slapped him. And apparently, Brett is a werewolf or something. He was on the list.”

“I know.” Anna was rambling. She only did that when she was nervous about something. “He was who Garrett was after. And I tangled with his girlfriend when she tried to kill Brett.”

“Wait, Violet’s an assassin too?”

“Well, she’s in custody now. Really what she gets for going after Scott.”

“What?!”

“Chill. Who’s on the list?”

“What list?”

“Anna.”

She took the folded up paper from her back pocket. “Trish, what was Dad?”

“A deadbeat asshole.”

“I’m serious. What kind of creature was Dad? Maybe that’s why we’re both supernaturals.”

“He wasn’t anything. He was human as far as I know. Mom would have told me otherwise.”

“Then why is he on the dead pool? Is he back in Beacon Hills?”

I sighed. “Yes, he’s back. He came to the hospital before all this crap started. He wanted to talk to me.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“Maybe you should. Maybe you’ll finally be able to understand why he left.” My sister, the sage. It was basically the same thing both Jordan and Alan had said to me.

I sighed. “Alright. I’ll talk to him. But you’re not going until I find out why he’s here.”

“Fair enough.” She was now holding the paper to her chest as if she was protecting it.

“Who else is on the list?”

“Kate.” I crossed my arms and she sighed. “I wanted you to hear it from me. It’s someone none of us really expected to see.” She slowly handed me the paper as if she didn’t want me to see what was on it. “You might want to sit first.”

I unfolded the paper and read off the names. I wasn’t surprised to see Kate. I was surprised to see Thomas. The other names I didn’t know. Until I reached the last name on the list. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. This couldn’t be right. I couldn’t breathe. I sat. Luckily, the couch was right behind me. Anna had been right about me needing to sit first.

“No,” I whispered. “He’s not one of us.” I couldn’t believe Jordan was on the list. And worth five million dollars. “He can’t be.”

Anna sat next to me. “He’s something,” she said. “Maybe he’s like me. Maybe he doesn’t know. And because you’re trying to keep him from knowing about you, he didn’t know he could tell you.”

I shook my head. “He’s clueless, Anna. He knows something isn’t right, but he doesn’t know about Beacon Hills.” This was just adding to my list of problems and stress. Anna hugged me. It was bad enough that Anna was on the list, but to see my boyfriend’s there as well? It was too much.

**ANNA**

Trish would probably kill me if she found out I skipped school with Stiles and Lydia and that we were at the sheriff’s station.

“Shouldn’t you guys be in school?” Jordan asked.

“Uh, maybe,” I said. “Don’t tell Trish. She’s having a hard enough time right now.”

“Still deciding on whether to go and talk with your dad?”

“Pretty much.” Not the truth of course but I went with it.

We followed Jordan towards the main part of the station. “Your dad should be back within the hour, Stiles. You want to wait in his office?”

“Actually, we want to talk to you,” Stiles said.

“Privately,” Lydia said.

Jordan looked at me.

“It’s really important.” I motioned to Stilinski’s office.

Once inside, Lydia gave him the dead pool. It was the print out of the second third so our names wouldn’t be on it. He leaned against the desk as he looked over the list.

“This is a hit list?” he asked. “And why is your dad on it?”

I shrugged. We’d forgotten to take his name off. “We call it a dead pool. Recognize any of the names?”

“Yeah. The sheriff had me run a bunch of these through the system last night. But we couldn’t find any of them.”

“Show him the other thing,” Stiles said.

Lydia started to reach for the paper.

“No, I should do it,” I said.

Lydia nodded and I took the paper and flipped it over.

Jordan stood, shock showing clear on his face. “Okay,” he said. “That’s kind of terrifying,” He looked at me. “You didn’t show this to Trish did you?”

“That’s part of her problem right now.”

Jordan groaned. “What’s the number?”

“That’s how much you’re worth,” Lydia explained.

Jordan spun around. “I’m worth five dollars?”

“Five million,” Stiles said, holding up five fingers to illustrate.

“Five million?! I only make 40,000 a year.” He looked at the list again. “Maybe I should kill myself.”

“Don’t let Trish hear you say that,” I said.

“I don’t get it. Why… why am I on this?”

“You don’t know why?” I asked.

Jordan shook his head.

“Honestly, that might be a question for another day,” Stiles said. “Right now, there’s still another third of the list we gotta crack.”

“We need the third cipher key. But we need help getting it,” Lydia explained.

“From who?”

I scratched my head and bit my lip.

“Meredith.”

“The girl from Eichen? The last time you saw her, you almost gave her a nervous breakdown. You were lucky that Anna was able to calm her down.” Jordan went and opened the door.

“Uh, almost.”

“You’re not helping Lydia,” Stiles said.

“Jordan, if we go to Eichen house, maybe I can talk to her,” I said.

Jordan paused for a moment before sighing. “If your sister finds out about this, she’s going to kill me.” I smiled.

“We just won’t tell her, now will we?”

~~~

The four of us were now at Eichen House with an orderly outside of Meredith’s door. We heard a door open.

“Oh no,” Stiles said. “Not this guy.”

“What the hell are we running here?” A nurse walked down the hall.

I felt sick to my stomach as he got closer. There was something about him that made me sick. Lydia grabbed my arm. It was the strongest feeling I’d ever received from someone.

“A bed and breakfast?” He grabbed the keys out of the orderly’s hand. This had to be Brunski, just from the way Malia described him. “You do not just open the door for anyone with a badge.”

“We need to talk to Meredith Walker,” Jordan said.

Brunski turned towards him.

“It involves a murder investigation.”

“Well, you can talk to her all you want, but these three.” He pointed at Stiles. “Especially that one, they’re outta here.”

“They’re crucial witnesses in an ongoing investigation. I wouldn’t have brought them here if it wasn’t absolutely,” he paused a minute. “Crucial.” And he was doing so well at bullshitting. It was almost as if Trish taught him herself.

“Okay, Deputy. How about you come back with a court order, then I’ll listen.” He turned to Stiles. “As for you, Mr. Stilinski, how about you come back with payment in full. That’s right. Daddy may be the sheriff, but he’s late on the bills.” With Brunski this close to me, I really felt like I was going to throw up. “I guess those government jobs aren’t as reliable as they used to be, huh?”

“But they do help when you need a favor,” Jordan suddenly said. “Like, how a month ago Canaan P.D. helped you get home after blowing 0.1 on a breathalyzer.”

Despite feeling like I was going to lose my breakfast on Brunski, I smirked.

“No,” Stiles said, almost laughing.

“Alright.” Brunski knew he was being blackmailed. “I’m not against a little quid pro quo.” He put the keys against Stiles’ chest and he took them. “Not at all.”

Lydia flipped him the double bird as he walked away. Trish would have been so proud of Jordan for that.

“You,” Stiles gave Jordan the keys. “You, I like. I now see why Trish is so in love with you.”

“Stiles,” Jordan chuckled.

With Brunski’s departure, my feeling sick disappeared as well. Jordan opened the door. Meredith was sitting on her bed, alone in the room.

“Hi, Meredith,” I said.

“I can’t tell you,” she said.

“Can’t tell us what?”

“The key. I can’t tell you.”

Stiles and Lydia sat on the bed across from her.

“What do you mean you can’t tell us?” Lydia asked.

“We just need the third key,” Stiles said. “You can give it to us in numbers, letter, hieroglyphs. Whatever you want.”

“I can’t.”

“Then why did you give us the second key?”

“I wanted to help. That’s what I want to do.” Meredith looked at me. “I want to help.”

“Great. So help us now. Okay?”

I put my hand on Lydia’s shoulder.

“Give us the third cipher key.”

“Things have changed. I… I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“She’s afraid,” I said.

Meredith nodded. “I’m sorry. I can’t. He… He doesn’t want me to.”

“He?” Stiles asked. “Who’s he?”

“Meredith, who doesn’t want you to tell us the third cipher key?”

“The Benefactor.”

“You know who the Benefactor is?” I asked.

Lydia jumped up. “What’s his name?”

Meredith looked at her wide-eyed.

“You could tell us his name.”

Meredith shook her head vigorously.

“Okay, you’re shaking your head,” Stiles said. “What’s that mean? Does that mean you don’t know? Or you don’t want to help us?”

“I can’t… I can’t help anymore.”

“How do you know about him?”

“Guys…” I warned.

Meredith started to freak out.

“Guys, I think we better stop,” Jordan backed me up.

“I’m with Jordan here. She’s about to have a blowout.”

“Meredith, a lot of people are going to die if you don’t tell us.”

“Lydia, stop!”

“I don’t… I don’t know. I don’t know. Please.”

“Meredith, it’s okay,” Jordan said. “You’re going to be alright.”

I held my hand out, slowly approaching her and hoping I could calm her down like I had before.

“I don’t… I don’t… I don’t know.”

“Meredith,” I said gently.

“I don’t know!” she screamed.

I hit the floor, covering my ears and giving my own scream.

“Anna!” Jordan went to me. “Anna are you alright?”

I was shaking. I’d never been on the receiving end of a Banshee’s scream. Jordan helped me to my feet. I pulled my hands away and felt something wet. I touched my jaw closest to my ear and pulled my fingers away, revealing that my ears were bleeding. I looked over at Lydia to see that hers were bleeding too.

“How about listening to the empath next time?” I snapped.

“Come on, guys,” Jordan said. “Let’s get you out of here and cleaned up.”

I nodded. While Lydia’s scream was a warning, Meredith’s was a weapon of mass destruction.

~~~

We went back to Stiles’ after I made Jordan promise not to tell Trish about what happened. He agreed, getting a promise out of me to not say anything to Trish about him aiding and abetting my skipping school. I gladly made that promise. Lydia was sitting in front of her laptop.

“Okay,” Stiles was saying. “Well, we know one thing.”

“Just the one?”

Stiles ignored my comment. “Both of the first keys, Allison and Aiden, they’re both names of the dead, right?”

“You figure that out on your own?”

“But we’ve already tried every other dead person’s name we could think of,” Lydia said. “And if you haven’t noticed, there were a lot of tries.”

We had tried everyone from our pack, the Hales and even mine and Stiles’ mothers. With nothing.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Stiles said.

Lydia suddenly got an odd look on her face.

“You okay?”

“The only other Banshee I’ve ever met. And I think I might have just drove her over the edge.”

“Lydia, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Anna was right.”

“I was?”

“I should have stopped when you told me to.”

“You’re probably not the only…,” Stiles trailed off and Lydia and I looked at him. “Hold on.”

“What?” I asked.

“Banshees predict death. So what if the third key is someone who isn’t dead…”

“But will be.”

Lydia exhaled and I got up off the bed. Lydia closed her eyes, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Without looking she typed a five-letter name. I held my breath and went around to see the name she’d typed.

_DEREK_

Lydia looked up at us before hitting Enter. The names started to form and I released the breath I’d been holding, my heart breaking at knowing Derek would be the next to die.

_Satomi Ito 10_

_Malia Hale 4_

_Liam Dunbar 3_

_Meredith Walker 1_

_Liz Moore 1_

_Patrick Clark 1_

_Bree Leverett 250_

_Kaitlyn Schaar 250_

_Genevive Cary 250_

_Angelique Fain 250_

_Lorilee Rohr 250_

_Brittani Kegley 250_

“Call Parrish,” Lydia said, her voice sounding panicked. “We need to call Parrish.” She fumbled for her phone and called Jordan, warning him about Meredith being on the dead pool. Then she stopped, the color draining from her face.

“Uh oh,” I whispered.

“What are you talking about?” She lowered the phone, a numb look on her face. Shock, guilt, and grief warred within her. Stiles pulled her into a hug. I went over and hugged them too.

“I’m sorry.”

**TRISH**

_I need you to get to the clinic now_. Chris’ voice was strained. _The Beserkers attacked Stilinski and McCall while they were escorting Violet to another facility._

“Then why are they being taken to the clinic?”

 _They’re not. Scott is_.

“What?!” I was out the door and to my car, not even stopping to leave Anna a note like I usually did. “Why?”

_I don’t know why he was there, but they attacked him too._

“I’m on my way.” I pretty much was speeding and praying none of the deputies pulled me over.

I got to the clinic without incident and ran in. “Chris!” I called.

“In here.”

Scott was laying on the exam table, a bone knife sticking out of his side. I was at his side in a heartbeat. Scott started moving then.

“Hey, there,” Alan said when Scott opened his eyes. “We were actually hoping you would be out for a few more minutes.”

Scott looked down.

“Scott,” Chris said. “This is going to hurt.”

I held his shoulders down and Scott grabbed my wrists. Chris started pulling and I saw how well lodged the knife was. Scott screamed as the knife came out. He came off the table and I let go.

“You alright?” the Hunter asked.

I tended to the wound.

“Where’s my dad and the sheriff?”

“They’re at the hospital. They’re both doing fine.”

“It was Kate,” Scott said breathlessly. “It was her and the Beserkers.”

“We know,” Chris said. “But they move fast. And don’t leave much in the way of tracks.”

“We have to find her. She’s got Violet. I think Violet knows where Liam is.”

“Wait, what?” I said. “That’s why you were there. Garrett took Liam, didn’t he?”

Scott nodded.

“Then as much as this hurt,” Alan held the knife towards Scott. “It could probably also help. Can you get a scent?”

Scott took the knife and breathed in deep. “Yeah,” he said. “I got a scent.”

~~~

I rode with Chris and we followed Scott as he followed the scent to an abandoned warehouse. I jumped out as soon as Chris stopped the car. I ran around the side as Chris stepped out and looked at where we ended up. He sighed and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

“You’ve been here before?” Scott asked.

“I worked here. We used to own the building. It was part of our business.”

“The legit one or the werewolf killing one?” I asked.

“The legit one.”

“I’ve fought these things before,” Scott motioned to me. “Both of us have. They’re strong. Really strong.”

“And they’re weapons in themselves,” I added.

“That’s why I brought this,” Chris opened the back door and pulled out an assault rifle.

“I’m good with that,” Scott said.

“Not going to protest either.”

“Do you still have that knife I gave you?”

“Well, I didn’t bring it with me because I didn’t know we were going to be hunting Beserkers tonight. I did leave the house in a hurry.”

“Come on.”

We carefully went inside the building. It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. Thin plastic sheeting hung everywhere.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” I whispered. “This is like every horror movie I’ve seen.”

It was way too quiet. The only sound being the sheeting flapping around in a breeze. Why was there a breeze in here?

“You shouldn’t have come,” Kate suddenly said. We couldn’t tell where her voice was coming from.

“Kate,” Scott called. “I’m here for Violet. I need to talk to her.”

“I knew you’d find me.” Her shadow appeared on the sheeting in front of us and Chris raised his gun. “But I was hoping we could do this later.” Kate’s shadow grew smaller as she walked towards the sheet. “I just.” The Beserkers’ shadows appeared behind hers. “Needed a little more time.”

“For what?” Chris asked.

“To learn control.” She pushed the sheeting aside and I could tell that she was transformed. I could see the claws in her silhouette. “Lower the gun. We walk away. And you don’t have to get hurt. Any of you.”

“Where’s Violet?” Scott asked.

“Put the gun down, Chris.”

“Where is she?”

There was a lot of growling going on and I slowly went into a defensive stance. As far as I knew, Kate didn’t know about what I could do. She never saw me use my magic or my eyes change color before she died.

“This is about to get ugly,” I said.

“No, no!” Scott cried.

After a few minutes of staring each other down and growling from Kate, the Berserkers charged. Chris opened fire and I jogged backward.

“No, no, stop! No!”

Kate came out of nowhere and disarmed Chris. I went forward to help him and she slashed at me. I dodged and a Berserker grabbed me and threw me. The same Beserker went after Chris. Chris dodged the attack, then turned and started punching it.

“Chris, move!”

I shoved my most powerful force field out and threw the Beserker. It charged at us again, taking out a post. It decided I was the bigger threat and grabbed me by the throat. Chris threw several punches to its ribs before it tossed me aside and went after Chris again. It brought its fist down, hitting him in the back before grabbing him by the back of his shirt. It held its bone knife up to kill him.

“No!” Kate screamed before roaring. It let Chris go and I basically crawled over to him.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Scott.”

Kate and the Beserkers walked away.

“Scott!” I shouted. I’d lost him in the fight.

Scott showed up a couple of minutes later and helped us both to our feet. I felt like I’d gone a few rounds with Godzilla. Chris looked like he’d been hit several times with a Mack truck.

“I’m sorry,” Chris said.

“I’m not going to find him,” Scott said sadly.

“There’s still time.”

“She killed Violet.”

“Wait,” I said, having a sudden thought. “I’ve never tried it, but I might be able to use that memory spell to find him.”

“What if Violet didn’t know?”

I opened my mouth to answer when I heard a faint roar.

Scott spun around. “Liam.”

“Go!” Scott took off. “Let’s get outta here. Can you walk?”

~~~

We met Scott and Liam at the clinic and Alan treated him the same way he had Brett. Scott looked like a worried father as Liam closed his eyes and started to breathe normally. I rubbed his back. He now knew how I felt every time one of them got hurt.

“I don’t want to keep watching people die,” Scott said.

“I’m not sure you have much choice in that,” Chris said.

“Maybe I do.”

“That’s a lot of burden to carry, Scott,” Alan said.

“Trust me, you don’t want that burden,” I said. “That responsibly.”

“You do it.”

“And that’s what I am. That’s my purpose, why I was born. And I don’t wish that on anyone. Especially not on an almost eighteen-year-old boy.”

“I don’t care. No one else dies.”

Alan and I looked at one another.

“Everyone on that list. Everyone on that dead pool. It doesn’t matter if their Wendigos, or werewolves, or Eamonns, or whatever. I’m going to save everyone.”

I put my hand over his and squeezed. If that’s what he wanted to do, I wasn’t going to abandon him.


	8. Quarantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a weaponized virus is released at the school, Trish and Alan race to discover an antidote before it's too late.

I decided to take everyone’s advice and meet with Thomas, although I decided to do it at the hospital. I sat in a corner of the cafeteria waiting for him to show up. I would have rather been in the room with Derek trying to figure out if his new best friend was responsible for the dead members of Satomi’s pack he and Malia had found the night before. Derek had run into the ER with Braeden, no one knowing she was back in town. She was currently in a room sedated after surgery. Thomas walked into the room and looked around before seeing me.

“I’m going to admit that I was surprised you called me after our last meeting,” Thomas said.

“Sit down before I change my mind,” I responded. For some reason this made Thomas smile, but he sat across from me. “First things first, why are you back?”

“Straight to the point.”

I raised my brows to prompt him to answer my question.

“I decided it was time to come home. I know I should have stayed when Liz was sick, but she asked me not to. She knew how angry you were with me and didn’t want that anger to boil over.”

I was sure the surprise showed on my face. “You came back before Mom died?”

“A friend of mine that knew your mother expressed his condolences when she was diagnosed. I came home but Liz asked that I avoid you, that you were still angry that I left. I would visit when you were at work and Anna was at school. She was the one that told me that you were a nurse.”

“What else did she tell you?” I wondered if she had told Thomas about what I was.

“Just that you would probably rearrange my face if you knew I was home.”

I snorted a laugh. “She was probably right.”

“I wanted to stay and talk to you then. Explain everything but I didn’t think you would understand.”

“I wouldn’t understand?” I realized then Mom never told him about me. And I also realized that he didn’t know that I was aware of the true side of the world. “What wouldn’t I have understood?”

“There are things in this world that would steal your sleep at night if you know about it.”

“Oh really?” I knew I was being petty right now, but I wanted to mess with him. Call it payback for his absenteeness.

“I know you’re an adult but let me protect you from at least this.”

“Oh, you really want to protect us now?”

“I didn’t have a choice when I left, Trish. I…”

“How about you just tell me what you are.”

Thomas’ mouth was still open when he gave me a shocked look. “What?”

“I could really screw with you and pretend I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but your timing on coming back was as horrible as your leaving without an explanation.”

Thomas now looked confused.

“You obviously don’t know you put yourself in danger just by coming back to Beacon Hills.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your name is on a dead pool, Thomas. Someone put a million-dollar price tag on your head. Someone obviously knows what you are.”

Before Thomas could respond, my phone started ringing and I saw it was Jordan.

“Hey, Jordan,” I answered.

_I know you’re at work but you need to know that the CDC just quarantined the school._

My heart jumped to my throat. “What?” My immediate thought was an assassin had released something at the school. Thomas gave me a concerned look. “Why?”

 _They don’t know yet, but I wanted you to hear it from me before you found out through scuttlebug_.

“Anna’s there taking her PSATs.”

_I know. That’s why I called you. I want you to stay at the hospital. I’ll keep an eye out for Anna, alright?_

“I need to be there.”

_Trish, don’t. We have enough scared parents here and Stilinski is already stressed out because of Stiles being inside too. If it turns out to be nothing, I’ll be here for her. She’s practically my sister, too. I promise I won’t let anything happen to her._

“You can’t make that promise, Jordan.”

_But I’ll try my best to keep that promise. I gotta go, just please stay at work. I don’t want you in harm’s way if this spreads out._

“Alright. Just be careful.”

 _I will._ Jordan hung up.

“Trish?” Thomas prompted, starting to reach toward me.

I pulled away and looked at him. “You want to start being our father now? Then go to the high school and find out what’s going on. Anna and her friends were taking their PSATs but for some reason, they’ve been quarantined by the CDC.”

“I’ll head there now.”

We both stood and headed toward the door. We met Melissa at the door.

“I was just looking for you,” she said. “I know you were meeting with your dad but I need your help with something. Alan called and needs a very special favor.”

I nodded. “Thomas was just about to head to the school.”

“Good, I’ll feel better being stuck at work if someone was there to give us some info.”

We headed down the hall before Thomas veered toward the entrance and I stopped.

“Thomas,” He turned back toward me. We were alone in the hallway. “I’ve been patching up werewolves for the past few years, so I think I understand perfectly the things in the world that would give a normal person nightmares.” I then turned around and headed down the hall with Melissa.

“What was that about?” she asked.

“He’s on the dead pool. He’s obviously like the rest of the family, but he wanted to protect me from the secret side of the world.”

“He’s a few years too late for that, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, like sixteen years too late.” I looked over at Melissa. “What’s the favor we’re doing for Alan?”

“Grab that gurney,” she said as we passed one.

“Well, that doesn’t bode well.”

“You know about the pack that Derek and Malia found, right?”

“Yeah. Derek told me about it.”

“Braeden told me it was a virus designed to kill werewolves.”

I stopped in my tracks. “What?!”

“Satomi brought one of her pack to Alan for help. He called me to help him. And there’s no one else in this hospital that knows werewolves better than you.”

“Why bring them here? We’re not exactly a werewolf friendly hospital.”

We arrived at the back entrance and found Alan and Satomi with a partially transformed male werewolf that was expelling black goo everywhere, causing me to drop an F-bomb before jumping in to help get him onto the gurney.

“Okay, this isn’t happening at the school, is it?” Melissa asked.

Alan gave her a confused look. “School? It’s Saturday.”

“They’re taking the PSATs today,” I explained. “The entire pack except for Liam and Lydia are there.” The black goo started coming out of the werewolf’s mouth. “Oh, that’s not a good sign.”

“I think we need to hurry,” Satomi said, urgency in her voice.

We wheeled him down the hall to the elevator, me wondering how we were going to explain this to administration and if we were going to lose our jobs for this. Melissa repeatedly mashed the button for the second floor while I tried to figure out what the hell was happening.

“We’re almost there,” I said. “Hang on, okay.”

The werewolf then stopped moving. Or breathing for that matter.

“No, no, no, no.”

I pressed my fingers to his neck and held them there for a good minute, but I knew I wouldn’t feel a pulse. He wasn’t an Alpha. I didn’t have to have Anna’s abilities to feel the air of grief as the elevator went deathly quiet. I pulled my hand away, feeling like I had failed Satomi. The Alpha softly sobbed as Alan tried to comfort her.

“What floor is the morgue?” Alan asked.

“Basement,” I responded.

“If this is happening at the school, we need to find out what killed him. Maybe we can save the others.”

Satomi nodded and Melissa pressed the button for the basement.

~~~

We placed Satomi’s Beta on the autopsy table and Alan, Melissa, and I geared up. Alan started at the werewolf’s brain. After a few minutes, he froze and looked at the two of us.

“I think I know what this is,” he said. We looked at him. “Unfortunately, if I’m right, and Scott and the others are infected, it’s not good. They’re going to die without an antidote.”

“All of them?” I asked, my voice betraying the fear I was feeling.

“Anna might be the only one not affected.”

“Why?” Satomi asked.

“She’s not a shapeshifter,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Melissa asked.

“If she was, we would have known way before the Hale fire.” I paused. “Derek found the dead members of Satomi’s pack. If this killed them, what if he’s infected?”

“Where is he?” Satomi asked.

“Upstairs,” Melissa took off her gear. “Come on, Satomi. He was out there looking for you.”

After they left, Alan looked over at me. “Trish, this won’t affect Derek like it would the others.”

I looked over at him.

“I know about him losing his powers. I know it started with his eyes, and I noticed how long it took him to heal when Brett scratched him.”

I sighed. “He couldn’t smell blood when we tracked the Mute to the school. He had to get Malia to help him track down Satomi’s pack. He won’t be able to defend himself like he used to if assassins come after him. I’ve been trying to find answers in the bestiary, but I’m coming up empty.”

Alan sighed. “You’re stretching yourself too thin, Trish. I know it’s in your nature as an Eamonn to protect, but you know you can’t protect everyone. Especially if you don’t include yourself. You can’t protect the pack if someone cashes in on you.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I think I know why Eamonns don’t live very long.”

“Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, too.”

I nodded. Anna needed me alive. I was still her legal guardian until next year. If something happened to me, she would be forced to live with our dad, now that he was back in Beacon Hills.

Melissa and Satomi returned with Derek.

“Why do I feel like we’re about to have a really bad talk here?” he asked the moment he saw the dead werewolf with his brain exposed.

“Because Alan has figured out what killed Satomi’s pack,” I said.

“It’s a variant of canine distemper,” Alan said, causing me to remember the smartass comment I said to Gerald when he kidnapped and dragged me to the clinic to examine an ex-boyfriend’s corpse. “A few years ago, an outbreak in Yellowstone killed forty percent of the wolf population.”

“What’s it going to do to our wolf population?” Melissa asked.

I pointed at the dead werewolf. “That apparently.”

“Well, it’s been altered to infect quite a bit faster,” Alan explained.

“Well, shit.”

“It’s been weaponized?” Derek asked.

“It infected my whole pack,” Satomi added.

“Everyone but you,” I noted. “Did you just not get infected?”

“Or are you immune?” Alan asked.

A thoughtful look came across Satomi’s face just then. “I… I really don’t know.”

“If your pack was infected,” Derek said as Alan covered the dead werewolf with a sheet and Melissa looked like she was trying not to panic. “Then who was doing all the shooting at the entrance to the woods?”

“Apparently another assassin,” Satomi answered. “Personally, I’d rather face a gun than a variant of smallpox.”

“Maybe Alan should have made sure everyone got their vaccines before now,” I said, although the attempt at humor felt off even to my ears.

Derek gave a small smirk.

“Sounds like you’re going to get plenty of chances,” Melissa said, before looking over at me. “But what about you? You can’t heal from a gun like they can, can you?”

“Nope. I heal pretty quickly now, but bullets can still kill me. I don’t heal instantaneously. All I got at my disposal is magic and a combat knife. That is currently in my car with my bow.”

Derek looked over at Satomi and she quickly looked away. “Sorry,” she said. “The two of you probably don’t remember me.”

“I remember you, Satomi,” I said. “Last time we met, you commented about how I wasn’t scared to walk around a house full of werewolves.”

Satomi chuckled. “You were the only human that I had come across who was fully aware of us, but wasn’t afraid of us.” She then looked back at Derek. “I just noticed how much you remind me of Talia.”

Derek smiled. He was always being reminded about how much he looked like his mother.

“I used to visit her a lot, you know. Trish remembers me, but do you?”

“I remember the tea,” Derek replied.

“Who could forget that tea?” I said with a laugh.

“You always brought that tea that smelled terrible. Mom used to give some of it to Trish’s mom.”

Satomi smiled. “I brought that tea as a gift.” She looked at me. “I always asked Talia to give some to Elizabeth, as she helped me through a tough spot in my life. Talia loved it.”

“So does Anna. We only drink it for special occasions though.”

“What kind of tea?” Alan suddenly asked.

“What?” Satomi asked. “The tea with the smell. What kind was it?”

“Reishi. Wild purple reishi. It’s very rare.”

“Which is why Anna and I ration it…” I trailed off. “Wait a minute…” I looked between Alan and Satomi. “It’s also a powerful remedy for sickness.”

“You didn’t get infected because you’ve been inoculated,” Alan said. He looked at me. “And because you and Anna drink it, your sister will be too.”

“Okay, how rare is it?” Melissa asked. “Can we find it?”

“I still have some at home, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to get it to them.”

“You won’t have to,” Derek said. He looked at us when he felt all of our eyes on him. “It’s in the vault.”

Melissa pulled out her phone and made a call as me, Satomi, and Derek made a beeline to the door.

“Me and Trish have to get to the school,” Derek said as we left the morgue.

“What about the others at Lookout Point?” Satomi asked.

The elevator dinged and a blond woman walked out, raising a pistol.

“Shit!” I immediately threw a shield up as she began firing.

Derek shoved me back into the morgue as Satomi charged forward, dodging bullets. I scrambled to my feet, my eyes going purple. By the time I got back to the hallway, Derek was getting up and Satomi was standing over the would-be assassin with a metal spike in her hand, blood covering one end of it.

She looked over her shoulder at us. “I may have learned to control my anger, but I still know when to use it.”

ANNA

“Stiles, what are you doing up here?” I asked.

Mr. Yukimura and I had hidden Scott, Malia, Kira, and Stiles in the Hale vault below the school in an effort to quarantine them from the quarantine when Scott couldn’t control his eyes and fangs and Malia couldn’t retract her claws. Kira’s mind seemed to be affected and Stiles, despite being human, had developed a rash and fever. I seemed to be the only one that it wasn’t affecting at all and wondered if it was another clue to what I was.

“I need to find Mr. Yukimura,” he said.

“Stiles, you look like shit. If the CDC sees you, they’re going to quarantine you. They found Coach passed out in his office and they stuck him in quarantine.”

“Wait…” Stiles looked at me. “Coach?”

I nodded.

“Is he the only adult that got sick?”

“As far as I know, yeah.”

“Why did he get sick? He wasn’t in the room with the rest of us.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. Let’s go check his office.”

“Why?”

“Come on.”

I followed Stiles into Coach’s office and we ransacked the place.

“What exactly are we looking for?”

“Something! Anything that could point us into how everyone got sick.” Stiles urgently went through Coach’s desk before slamming the final drawer shut and sighing. I could feel his desperation and I put a hand on his back. “It has to be here,” he said.

“We’re running out of time.”

“I know.”

Stiles then started to go through permission slips on the desk, each with APPROVED stamped in red ink. The ink faded until Coach had switched to black ink.

I could see the wheels turning in his head. “Stiles?”

He picked up the coffee cup and I saw the thumbprint on the side.

“The ink.” I looked at Stiles. “Oh, my God.”

“I was wondering how that idiot got sick,” a man’s voice said from behind us.

I squeaked and Stiles scrambled to his feet, immediately pushing me behind him. The test supervisor was standing in the doorway to the boy’s locker room twisting a silencer into a handgun.

“I’m also wondering where your friends are.”

I clung to Stiles, terrified.

“Since in order to get paid by The Benefactor, I need to have proof they’re dead.”

“Visual confirmation,” Stiles said.

The assassin pointed the gun at the two of us. “Exactly.” He grabbed Stiles and shoved him towards the locker room, me going with him. “You still look feverish, Mr. Stilinski.” Stiles was still keeping himself between me and the assassin. “But you should know something. The virus doesn’t kill humans, you’ll get better. So don’t you think you should tell me where they are?” He looked over at me. “Shouldn’t one of you get to live?” He moved the gun towards me and Stiles once again pushed me behind him.

“Leave her alone,” he said.

I knew I couldn’t run. He’d shoot me in the back. Not that I could even get my legs to even move.

“Out of everyone here, she’s the only one that didn’t get sick or even feverish looking. I’m willing to let Miss Roberts go if you just tell me where the others are.”

“I think I saw them in the library,” Stiles said. “Or was it the cafeteria? Definitely one of those places.”

The assassin wasn’t amused. “I’m going to count to three and then I’m going to kill you both. That way I can at least cash in on someone.”

I whimpered in fear, but Stiles looked him in the eye. “Think you can scare me?”

“No, I think I can kill you. I just thought the countdown would be more exciting. So…” He pressed the gun to Stiles’ forehead. “One…”

“Anna, get out of here.”

“Two…”

“Stiles,” I breathed.

A shot suddenly went off and I screamed. The assassin fell to the floor, a hole between his eyes. Stiles sputtered and spit, gasping in shock. Someone with a HazMat suit walked in, his own gun pointed at the assassin. I was surprised to see our rescuer was Scott’s dad.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Stiles breathed.

“Stiles, listen,” Rafe said. “I got a call from Melissa. I don’t know what it means. She said there’s an antidote. It’s in the vault, reishi mushrooms.”

“Wait, what’s in the vault?”

“It’s in a jar on one of the shelves.”

“That’s why I didn’t get sick. Stiles, it’s a rare tea! We don’t have much time!” I turned and ran, Stiles right behind me.

~~~

The quarantine was lifted and everyone was able to leave. The reishi mushrooms had worked to all of our reliefs, but Stiles had forgotten that he had the dead pool in the pocket of the jacket he’d given to Malia. She had walked out of the vault without a word and I could feel her anger. Stiles, Scott, and Kira immediately went to look for their parents and I walked out of the school. There were so many emotions around me that I was feeling overwhelmed. Not to mention it was starting to hit me that I had almost died. I just wanted my sister at that moment and I searched the faces around me.

“Anna!”

I turned my head at my name being called to see Jordan.

He gently took my shoulders. “Anna. Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “Where’s Trish?”

“I asked her not to come in case this started to spread.”

“I want my sissy.”

“I’ll call her, okay? And I’ll take you to the hospital to see her.”

“Is she okay?” A man’s voice said.

I looked over at him surprised to see a face I only knew from pictures. “Dad?”

“Hey, sweetie.”

I moved closer to Jordan. My dad was a stranger to me, while Jordan was someone I knew and trusted. I felt the hurt.

“What are you doing here?” Jordan asked.

“Trish told me about the quarantine and asked me to come.”

Jordan didn’t look like he believed my dad. “Funny, I was under the impression that she didn’t want to talk to you.”

“We were having lunch together at the hospital when you called her.” Thomas sighed. “Look, Jordan.”

“Deputy Parrish. Just because you’re my girlfriend’s dad doesn’t give you the right to call me by my first name.”

“I know I made a mistake, but I’m trying to make up for that.”

“I just want to go home,” I said. I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of Jordan and my dad.

“Come on. I’ll take you home.”

We moved away from Thomas, who didn’t move.

Once we were out of earshot, Jordan stopped and turned to me. “I’m sorry, Anna. Just knowing he walked out on all of you and left your mom to raise two kids on her own just riles me.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to talk to him?”

I looked over at Thomas, who was still standing in the same spot with his hands on his hips. I wanted to ask him why he left. I wanted to ask him what he was, wondering if knowing would solve the mystery of what I was.

I looked back at Jordan and shook my head. “Not without Trish.”

I could feel hurt and when I looked back toward Thomas, he was gone.


	9. Hospital Battleground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trish makes a decision. Thomas gathers information. The pack sets up a trap for the Benefactor.

**TRISH**

I engulfed Anna in a hug and she clung to me. Jordan stood nearby watching us.

“Are you okay?” I asked. I could tell something had happened for her to be clinging to me like she was.

“Sissy, I almost died. He was going to kill me and Stiles because we wouldn’t tell him where our friends were.”

“What?” I looked over at Jordan, hoping he could make sense of what Anna had just said.

“Some sort of virus or bacteria was released at the school,” he said. “Made a bunch of people sick, but it ran its course after a few hours. McCall got a frantic call from Melissa to give a message to Stiles and he caught the state test supervisor with a gun to Stiles’ head.”

My eyes widened, remembering all too well the feeling of a gun to my head.

“McCall heard him verbally threaten to kill Stiles and Anna and start a countdown.”

“And Rafe used deadly force against him, didn’t he?”

Jordan nodded. “I think that’s what has Anna so shook up. She watched a man die right in front of her.”

Anna was crying into my shoulder as I held her and I knew that this had been another assassination attempt. My mind was telling me to be livid at Rafe for killing someone in front of my sister, but this hadn’t been the first death she’d witnessed. And I was positive this wouldn’t be her last.

“I’m going to go talk to your supervisor and then I’m going to take the two of you home.” Jordan walked off as I led Anna over to the nearby chairs.

Melissa joined us. “Is she okay?”

“No, she’s really shook up.” I glanced around. “We were right. This was an assassination attempt on the kids. Your ex saved Stiles and Anna by killing the assassin.”

“In front of them?”

“Yeah.”

“Crap.”

“Dad was at school,” Anna suddenly said. “Jordan didn’t believe that you sent him.”

“I did send him since I was stuck here and he wanted to help.”

“I wasn’t ready to talk to him. I just wanted to go home.”

“It’s okay, Anna. If you didn’t want to talk to him, you didn’t have to.”

Jordan walked back over to us. “I explained to your supervisor what was going on and she said that Anna was more important than finishing your shift.”

“Thanks, Jordan,” I said as I stood with Anna still clinging to me and we left the hospital.

Jordan stayed downstairs while I explained to Peter, who had arrived via the window not too long after we got home after hearing about the quarantine from Derek, about what happened. He looked like he was about to leave to go track down this assassin and rip him to pieces until I told him that Rafe had beat him to it. He didn’t even try to hide the disappointment. Once I saw Anna was cuddled with him, I returned back to Jordan.

“She going to be okay?” Jordan asked.

“She had a gun pointed at her and someone threatening to kill her,” I sighed. “I really don’t know.”

“She’s gotta have some of your resilience.”

I gave him an odd look.

“You had a gun to your head and you seem to be okay.”

I gave a laugh. “I was pretty sure I was going to die that night. Not to mention I hide it well.”

“What exactly happened?”

“There had been a string of murders and the only thing connecting the victims were their ages at first until Stiles and Stilinski found out they had all been on the swim team together. Stiles actually thought I might have been on the killers’ hit list.”

“Why?”

“With the exception of Mr. Lahey, all the victims were 24 and graduated the same year from Beacon Hills High. I fell into that category. Until they discovered the swim team connection.”

“And you weren’t on the swim team.”

“I was on track. Anyway, Scott and Stiles saw a video from the hospital from the night one of the victims was killed. Melissa and I were on that video and Stilinski called us to see if we could identify this kid as being the one we stopped in the hall.” I sat on the couch next to Jordan. “Thing is, this kid seemed to have realized this video existed, killed a couple of deputies, and took everyone in the building hostage, including me and Melissa.”

“So why did he put the gun to your head?”

“To make Scott and Melissa cooperate. And to make me stop being a pain in the ass. I wasn’t exactly cooperating myself.”

Jordan chuckled. “That does sound like you.”

“He stuck us in a cell and the next thing I know, there’s a shootout and reinforcements show up and they find the kid dead in the creek behind the station.”

I conveniently left out Derek and anything supernatural related. I still wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with him. Everyone I ever told had already found out. I’ve never offered the information to anyone. I guess I just wanted Jordan to stay oblivious to the real world, even though I knew he knew he was on the dead pool. He just didn’t seem to know why he was on it. Or he was pretending he didn’t know why and thought that I was oblivious. I’m giving myself a headache…

Jordan then shared a story about thinking he was going to die when an IED he was disarming in Afghanistan went off. “I woke up a few feet away. No idea how I survived. None of my squad did either. Took out my gear but didn’t hurt me. We were all sure I was a goner.”

“I’m surprised neither one of us have PTSD.”

“Me too.” He then looked over at me. “Trish, I know you know about the hit list.”

I practically froze.

“And I know your dad is on it too. I don’t know why anyone would want me dead, although your dad’s a wild card.”

I snorted a laugh.

“Although I don’t know how you found out about the list.”

“Anna and her friends stumbled on it. Anna showed me before we took it to Stilinski.” I entwined my fingers through his. “I’m terrified of losing you, Jordan.”

“I’m more worried about you and Anna getting caught in the crossfire if someone comes after your dad. I know you’re afraid of losing another boyfriend to murder, but I can take care of myself. Just stay clear of your dad until we can figure out who put out the list.”

“Jordan…,” I started to say, deciding to confess everything to him.

Only to be interrupted by his phone ringing.

He sighed, pulling it out of his pocket. “Duty calls,” he said before answering it. “Parrish.” He listened to the caller, who I was assuming was either dispatch or Stilinski. “Yes, sir. I’m on my way.” He hung up and turned to me. “I gotta go back to work.” He kissed me. “I’ll be careful, Trish. I’m not planning on leaving you alone again. I may not be your first love, but I want to be your last.” He stood. “I’ll call you later to check on you and Anna.”

I stood after him.

“If you want I can call Derek to get your car from the hospital.”

“I can call him later,” I said. “Be careful, Jordan.”

“I will.” He then walked out my front door.

As he drove away, I realized that I was in love with him despite only dating for over a month. I wanted him to be my last love.

**THOMAS**

I walked into the sheriff’s office and stopped at the front desk.

“How can I help you, sir?” the officer there asked.

“Is Sheriff Stilinski in?”

“He should be in his office. Go straight back.”

“Thanks.” I headed between the desks.

The sheriff, who I had known for a long time was sitting at his desk, his brows knit together like he was trying to figure something out with what I was assuming was crime scene photos in his hand. I stopped in the doorway and knocked. Noah looked up, a surprised look crossing his face.

“Thomas?” he asked. “When did you get back?”

“A couple weeks ago. Came back to try to patch things with my daughters.”

“Get in here and shut the door.”

I stepped inside, shutting the door as he asked.

“Have you talked to either one of them?”

“I’ve talked to Trish. Seems she knows about a case you have involving a hit list. That I’m apparently on.”

“Are you aware of why you’re on the list?”

“Possibly, but I really don’t know how to explain it to you. I couldn’t even explain it to Trish.”

“Okay, good. This makes things easier.”

I gave him a puzzled look.

“It’s a dead pool of every supernatural creature in Beacon Hills.”

My brows shot upward in surprise.

“What?”

“I’m actually surprised you know about that.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have if my son and your youngest hadn’t decided to enlighten me after they’d known about it for a year.”

“When Trish told me she’d been patching up werewolves, I figured she knew, but Anna knows too?”

“Wait, you didn’t know they knew? Thought supernatural creatures ran in the family.”

“What are you talking about? I knew Liz was a Druid, but are you telling me my daughters inherited her abilities?”

“Oh, Trish is gonna kill me.”

“Okay, let’s start from the beginning. What is this dead pool and who created it?”

“We don’t know yet. All we know was a Banshee transcribed it without realizing it. And managed to break the code it was in.” Noah picked up three sheets of paper and handed them to me. “Everyone on this list is a supernatural creature. Most seem to be werewolves. But there’s a couple of Banshees, some kitsunes, and quite a few unknowns.”

I looked over the list and I could feel the color drain from my face at seeing both of my daughters’ names on the list, along with Trish’s boyfriend. “Why is Trish worth so much?”

“Um…,” Noah seemed to be warring with himself in telling me. “She’s already gonna kill me, so I might as well tell you. From what I understand, she’s an extremely rare Druid called an… uh… Eckman?” Noah paused. “That doesn’t sound right.”

I raised a brow. “Eamonn?”

“That’s right. Eamonn.”

Everyone in the supernatural community knew what an Eamonn was. And everyone knew not to cross one. Extremely rare, they protected everyone around them. Most were solitary. And I had never heard of one living past their 20s.

“Trish… is an Eamonn?”

“Yeah. Pretty powerful one, too, from what Stiles tells me. Does a pretty decent job at protecting the pack. Mostly.”

“Most supernaturals will shit themselves at the mention of one. Trish runs with a pack?”

“Always has, from what I understand.”

“Okay, what about Anna? What is she?”

“No idea.”

“What?”

“Nobody, including Anna, knows what she is. Trish has been trying to figure it out for a while. Look, Thomas, don’t go confronting Trish about this. She’s under a lot of stress. Her entire family, her pack, and her boyfriend is on this list. Which, by the way, we’re keeping Parrish in the dark about.”

At that moment, there was a knock and the door opened.

“Sheriff, the analysis from the ink came back,” Parrish said as he walked in. He stopped when he saw me. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting an old friend, Deputy,” I answered. I could smell aggression coming off him. “I wasn’t aware I needed your permission for that.”

“Thomas, I know you’re on that dead pool. And I’m asking you to stay away from Trish and Anna before they get caught in the middle of whoever is after you.”

“Parrish,” Noah warned.

“Don’t you think you should do the same, since your name is on it, too?”

“I don’t even know why I’m on it. But you, you’ve been out of their lives, doing God knows what to make it on that list.”

“You were in the army, right?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“We both want to protect my girls. But staying away from them is not something either one of us can do. Trish can take care of herself, Parrish. But instead of coming at me talking about staying away from my daughter to protect her, you should watch your own back. She’ll never forgive you if whoever is after us gets to you.”

“He’s right, Parrish,” Noah agreed. “Worry about keeping yourself alive. You’re my best deputy and I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Trish that you’re dead.” He turned to me. “Thomas, it was good to see you again, but I need to get back to work. Take care of yourself until we can find out who is behind this.” He looked back at Parrish and held out his hand. “What did they find?”

I took my leave, deciding that I needed to keep an eye on my girls.

**TRISH**

I hopped on top of the gurney as it was rolled through the doors, immediately administering CPR to the teenager.

 _Dr. Geyer to the ER. Dr. Geyer to the ER._ I heard the page but continued to do chest compressions. A few moments later he joined us.

“He’s flat-lining,” I said, not missing a compression.

Dr. Geyer immediately recognized him. “Get him to Trauma 2. Trish, keep doing that until we get there. Start another IV and push a unit of epi.”

I hopped off as soon as we reached Trauma 2, grabbing the defibrillator paddles and charging the machine, my heart beating wildly.

“Clear!”

The boy’s body jumped as the shock went through him, but the EKG continued to scream a flat-line.

“Come on,” I whispered.

“Still asystole,” Geyer said. “Continue chest compressions and charge to 360.”

I went back to chest compressions as someone else administered oxygen.

“Come on, come on, come on.” The machine was ready. “Clear!”

His body jumped again. There was a single beep before he flat-lined again.

“Nothing. Still asystole.” Geyer sighed as I continued the compressions. He looked over at me and put his hand over mine. “I’m calling it.”

I shook my head.

“Trish, I’m calling it. We can’t save him.”

Tears started to fill my eyes.

“Time of death,” he looked at his watch. “2102 hours. Can someone please page Melissa McCall?”

I tried to keep the tears from falling as Geyer led me out of the room and away from Scott.

“She’s going to need her friend when I tell her the news.”

I nodded, wiping away the tear that fell at that moment as Melissa was paged. Several minutes later, Melissa came around the corner. She took one look at my face and seemed to know something had happened.

“What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Melissa,” Geyer started. “I really hate being the one to tell you this. Scott was rushed in, unresponsive.”

Her face paled.

“I’m sorry, but he didn’t make it.”

Melissa shook her head. “No,” she said. “No! No!” She screamed and I could feel her heartbreak. “What happened to my son?”

I wrapped my arms around her as she collapsed, taking me with her. She wailed in the middle of the floor. I held onto her as Geyer shooed away the nurses that had come to investigate.

“Trish, I want you to stay with her. I’ll cover for you with admin.”

I nodded, my own tears falling. He knew how close I was with the McCalls. “Melissa, you can’t stay in the middle of the floor.” I helped her to her feet and led the grieving mother down the hall.

We headed toward the morgue, Melissa having gained control of herself.

“I hate all of you for this,” she said.

“I kinda hate myself for agreeing to this,” I responded, pushing open the door.

Melissa walked over to Scott as he lay on the cold metal slab. “I really hate this plan.”

“It’s definitely top of the list on idiot plans.” I looked at Stiles as I said that.

“Why are you looking at me?” he asked.

Kira, Liam, Anna, Stiles, and Noshiko were gathered around Scott.

“This is pretty significantly terrifying,” Melissa said. “He looks dead.”

“Give me your hand,” Noshiko said, holding out her own.

Melissa looked at me.

“It’s okay,” I said. She placed her hand in Noshiko’s and the kitsune placed Melissa’s hand on Scott’s chest.

“Wait for it.”

After a moment, Melissa gave a relieved smile. “Is that enough to keep a werewolf alive?”

“Enough for an Alpha.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Forty-five minutes,” I said.

“What happens after that?”

“I bring him back the same way,” Kira said.

“No, I mean what happens if he stays like this longer than forty-five minutes?”

“Your nightmare becomes reality,” I said. Melissa glared at me. “Hey, don’t look at _me_ like that. This was his stupid idea to use himself as bait.”

“We need to get started,” Anna said.

“I freaking hate this plan,” I muttered, pushing Scott into the cooler and shutting the door.

Chris arrived at the hospital after baiting the Benefactor and kept watch over the morgue while keeping up with our time. Melissa and Noshiko watched the front entrance. Liam, Stiles, Kira, and Anna kept watch over the security cameras, which Chris somehow managed to get to connect to their laptops. I swear Chris had to have worked in the CIA in a past life. I pretty much patrolled the halls. Malia and Peter were MIA. Anna told me how she was angry at everyone for keeping her in the dark about her being adopted and Peter was actually her father. I really didn’t blame her. But her anger seemed to not be as strong with me and Anna as it was with Scott and Stiles. Anna had confessed that she knew, but Peter had asked that she not mention it because she’d already been through a lot and didn’t need that shock to her system as well.

I looked down at my phone to see how much time we had left when the power flickered. “You gotta be kidding me,” I muttered. The lights never went out in the hospital like this, normally. With the exception of the storm that trapped us with the Darach and every supernatural attack on it. My phone rang and I saw it was Chris.

 _Something’s happening,_ he said.

“You don’t say? Your Hunter expertise tell you that.” I could pretty much hear Chris roll his eyes.

_Just keep your guard up._

“Oh my guard is up, but I wish I knew what I was guarding against.”

_Yeah, me too. Anna and Stiles are with Scott. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. See if you can head over to the morgue, too._

“I’ll try.” I turned a corner and ran into Melissa and Noshiko as I hung up.

“Know anything?” Melissa asked.

“Nope. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I’m guessing the power doesn’t go out often in this hospital,” Noshiko said as the lights continued to flicker.

“Only when under attack by supernatural creatures,” Melissa answered as if she were commenting on the weather. “Where are the kids set up?”

“You’re definitely way too used to supernatural shenanigans,” I commented as I led them to the room they were using as a command center. “And of course none of them are here.”

“Let’s go track our wayward children,” Melissa said.

“Let’s start with the morgue. I know that’s where two of them are.”

We headed down a hall towards the morgue when we heard panicked screaming. The three of us stopped and looked at one another. A moment later, an orderly raced down the hall, followed by a doctor. A nurse bolted into the nearby room, slamming the door shut. I heard heavy footsteps and I pushed both Melissa and Noshiko back.

“Trish?” Melissa asked just as a very large creature wearing bone armor turned the corner. “Um… what the hell is that?”

“A berserker,” I responded, my eyes changing color and charging up a force field. “Haul ass.”

“Um, Noshiko? Are you still kitsune?”

“Technically.”

The berserker gave a roar and charged at us.

“Run!” I screamed, throwing out the force field.

It went flying and we turned and ran as fast as we could. The distraction didn’t last very long and I heard it gaining on us. I spun around again, throwing out my force field again. This time it dodged and slammed into me. I hit the wall hard, the breath being knocked out of me. I gasped for breath as it came after me again. I managed to throw up a shield as its weapon came down.

“Trish!” Noshiko cried, coming towards me. The weapon bounced off my shield. And hit Noshiko. She went down with a scream. The berserker turned toward her and raised its weapon to finish her.

“No!” I cried.

A moment later, I heard Kate’s roar and the berserker retreated. Melissa and I scrambled over to Noshiko, who was heavily bleeding. The two of us pressed our hands against the wound.

“Stay with me,” Melissa said.

“We need some help here!” I screamed.

Geyer came running down the hall a few minutes later. “What the hell happened here?” he asked.

“Just help us get her off the floor,” I said. Geyer took off in search of a gurney. “Stay with us, Noshiko. You need to start activating your healing abilities.”

“I don’t have any tails,” she whispered. “I sacrificed them to stop Void.”

“You’re still kitsune. It’ll just take you longer, but you can still heal.”

Geyer returned with the gurney, Kira and Liam not too far behind him.

“Mom!” she cried as the three of us loaded Noshiko on it.

“We may have to med flight her to Palo Alto after the power surge,” Geyer said. “Trish, you need to take Melissa home. We can handle this.”

“Dr. Geyer,” I started.

“Go home!” He and a couple other nurses took over the care of Noshiko, Kira right behind them.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Liam asked.

“I hope so,” I said. I looked over at the young beta. “Scott?”

“Kira zapped him back. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of confused doctors in about five minutes.”

“I bet there will be.”

~~~

The hospital had wanted to keep Scott overnight for observation, but Melissa made a scene and demanded to take him home. They relented on the grounds that she would bring him back for tests to make sure there was no organ damage from being dead for forty-five minutes. Noshiko was transferred to the hospital in Palo Alto, Kira going with her. I was beat, flopping down on the couch, Anna sitting next to me.

“Well, that went perfectly according to plan,” I said, sarcasm dripping off my tongue.

Anna gave a giggle. “Guess who did show up?”

“Gonna take a wild guess and say Kate.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, unless her berserkers took a leisurely stroll through the hospital, Kate had to have been there. And we both know she’s not the Benefactor.”

“She was trying to steal Scott’s body.”

“Why?”

Anna shrugged. “No clue. She wouldn’t say.”

I sighed. “Of course she didn’t. She’s probably also the reason the Benefactor…,” I trailed off, a sudden thought hitting me.

“Trish?”

“He might not have shown up because he knew Scott wasn’t dead.”

“What?”

I looked at Anna. “What has the power to know someone is dead without actually seeing them?”

Anna gave me an odd look before the realization came across her face. “You think the Benefactor is a Banshee.”

“That’s why he requires visual confirmation. To make sure they actually did the deed. But who is the Benefactor?”


	10. A Phoenix Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack leads to revelations. A pack member is drawn into a trap.

I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t understand why. There was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and I didn’t know what my gut was warning me about. I sat up in bed and rubbed my forehead. I got up and went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face, trying to clear my head. I headed back to bed and saw I had a message.

 _We still on for tonight?_ The text read.

I smiled. I had made a dinner arraignment with Jordan telling him there was something important I needed to tell him. I had decided that he needed to be the first person I willingly told about me and hoped he wouldn’t be too angry at me keeping it to myself the entire time we’d been together. Anna made plans with the rest of the pack so Jordan and I would have the house to ourselves.

 _Of course._ I replied.

I sat on the bed, trying to remember if I’d ever had a feeling like this before. Then the memory hit me like a freight train. Seven years ago, I’d had the exact same feeling in my gut. The next day, I lost Josh in the Hale fire. I grabbed my phone again and saw he’d sent the text an hour ago. I called Jordan, praying my gut wasn’t correct. It rang several times and went to voicemail.

“Jordan, please call me when you get this.” Maybe I was overreacting and Jordan just left his phone at his desk and he was fine. I decided to get dressed and head down to the station to see if I was indeed just overreacting.

“Trish?” Stilinski asked when I arrived. “What are you doing here?”

“Is Jordan here?”

“He’s on patrol but he should be back shortly.” He then frowned. “Something’s not right.”

“Is it that obvious?”

He motioned toward his office and he shut the door behind us. “What’s wrong?”

“I have this terrible feeling deep in my gut that something is going to happen to Jordan. I can’t shake it.”

“That’s natural, right? Since you two are dating and everything.”

“The last time I had a feeling like this eight people died.”

“What?”

“The night before the Hale fire.”

“Oh…” Stilisnki frowned.

The door opened and Stiles and Lydia walked in at that moment. “Hey, Dad. You need to hear this.” He stopped when he saw me. “Oh, good. You’re here too.”

“Stiles, this might not be a great time,” Stilinski said.

“What’s wrong, Trish?”

“I just have a bad feeling that something bad is going to happen tonight.” I looked over at Stiles. “Distract me.”

Stiles and Lydia then laid out their theory about how they thought Lydia’s grandmother faked her death and was either helping the Benefactor or was the Benefactor.

“This is a story worth hearing,” Stilinski said.

“Wait…” Lydia said suddenly. “Trish, what is the bad feeling you’re having?”

“That something bad is going to happen to Jordan. It’s deep in the pit of my stomach.”

“Have you had this feeling before?”

“Seven years ago. The night before the Hale fire. I’ve called him a couple times, but he never answered.”

Stilinski frowned and opened the door, sticking his head out and looking around. “Anyone seen Parrish?” He caught sight of another deputy. “Haige?”

“Haven’t seen him.”

Stilinski closed the door.

“I can’t do this again,” I said. “I just can’t.”

“Hey,” Stiles said. “It’ll be okay. Maybe he just has his ringer off.”

We all jumped at the sound of gunfire. Stilinski opened the door and I instinctively threw a shield up. Luckily just in time as a shot went off and would have hit Stilinski had I not. I gasped seeing a completely naked Jordan covered in ash on top of Haige, punching him.

“But you’re dead”

“Jordan!”

He continued to punch him in a rage. I had no choice and rushed forward, pulling magic into my strength. “Jordan, stop!”

I pulled my boyfriend off Haige, knowing he would see the change in my eye color. The surprise showed clearly on Jordan’s face when he landed on his back with me on top of him. We both looked toward the beep that came from the laptop sitting on Haige’s desk.

**KILL NOT CONFIRMED**

~~~

“I need to be the one to explain it to him,” I said.

Stilinski had sent Jordan to the locker rooms to clean up and get the spare clothes he usually kept in his locker.

“You can’t do it here,” Stilinski said. He looked at me. “Any idea what he is?”

Jordan told us that he’d been knocked out cold and woke up tied to the steering wheel of his cruiser with Haige splashing gasoline on the car and him before telling him he was cashing in on the dead pool and throwing a lit lighter into the car and setting him on fire.

I shook my head. “First thing that comes to mind is phoenix, but I’d really have to consult my bestiary.”

“Maybe Derek might know?” Stiles asked. I just gave him a look. “Or not.”

“You know, maybe you should take him to the loft,” Stilinski suggested. “Derek can help you explain things.”

I sighed, but realized he was right. “So can the Alpha.” I looked at Stiles, who already had his phone in his hand. “And I see you’re already on that.”

Jordan walked toward us, the rage having disappeared and replaced with a look of confusion, no doubt trying to wrap his head around what happened.

“Jordan, are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know,” he replied. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

“I know you have questions, but I can’t answer them here.”

“Then where?”

“Derek’s loft.” I took his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

Lydia followed us while Stiles decided to stay behind with his dad.

Jordan was quiet while we rode.

“Trish,” he suddenly said. “At the station, when you pulled me off Haige. Your eyes…”

“Changed. I know.” I sighed. “We’ll explain at the loft, okay?”

“I know you know about the dead pool. I’m on it and your dad is on it. Anna asked me if I knew why I was on the list, but I have a feeling you do.”

I sighed again. “I know why. Because I’m on it, too.” I looked over at him as I parked next to the Cruiser. “And I’m more of a target than you are, so I’m actually surprised Haige went after you and not me.”

“What? Why?”

I opened my door. “Let’s go inside.”

Derek opened the door when we arrived, Scott already there and waiting. I explained to them what happened. Derek and Scott looked at each other in confusion before Derek looked between the two of us.

Derek held his hands out. “May I?”

Jordan looked at me and I nodded. Jordan let Derek examine his hands. After a few moments and noticing not a single mark or blemish on him, he glanced over at me before looking at Jordan.

“He covered you in gasoline?”

Jordan nodded.

“It’s the hair and nails, isn’t it?” Lydia asked. We all just looked at her. “The parts of the body that are essentially dead.”

“Well, they should be gone,” Derek agreed.

“All of him should be gone,” I said. “What part of he was covered in gasoline and set _on fire_ , do you two not understand?”

“Trish is right,” Jordan agreed.

“Not if you’re like us,” Scott said.

Jordan looked at me. “Like you?”

“I don’t think he’s like us,” Derek said.

“Then what is he?” Lydia asked.

“Can we stop talking about him like he’s not here?” I sighed.

“Go ahead and talk about me like I’m not here. I’m completely confused anyway.”

The comment drew a smirk out of me.

“I don’t know,” Derek said.

“Trish?”

“I’d have to research it in the bestiary, but we all see how well that went with Anna.”

“Wait.” Scott looked over at Derek. “But you knew about Jackson and Kira.”

I glanced over at Derek. Alan and I were the only ones who knew about Derek’s situation.

“This is a little out of my experience,” Derek said and I was glad he could still bullshit. It was a convincing cover. Derek then motioned to me. “There might be something in the bestiary.”

“Hold on,” Jordan said. “What’s a bestiary?” Then he held his hand up. “Actually, that’s not even my first question.”

“I’m sure your first question is what are we?” I said.

“That’s exactly my first question.”

“Well,” I said. “We may look it, but we’re not human.”

“What?”

Scott looked at me.

“I already told him I would explain everything. Plus, he’s already seen my eyes.”

Scott then looked back at Jordan, his eyes turning red.

Jordan looked between us. “How come your eyes are red and hers were purple?”

“Because I’m an Eamonn and he’s an Alpha werewolf.”

“What?”

“This is going to take a while.”

Derek and I explained we came from a long line of supernatural blood, me explaining Druids and Derek explaining werewolves. Scott explained how he became an Alpha. And we all explained the dead pool and the other supernatural creatures to him.

“Wait,” Jordan said as we explained what our friends were. “What’s a Kanima?”

“We’ll get back to that,” I said, trying to hide my amusement on that being the creature Jordan fixated on. “Just know that everyone like us,” I motioned around. “Everyone with some kind of supernatural ability, is on the dead pool.”

Jordan looked at me. “In the car, you said you were. Is Anna on it like you and your dad?”

I nodded and pulled out the full printout of the dead pool. “She has some abilities but we haven’t figured what she is yet.”

“Why are you worth so much?”

“Because she’s a supernatural bouncer,” Lydia answered.

“Supernatural bouncer?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Just mention Eamonn and everyone falls over themselves to avoid you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“How can I be on this when I don’t know what I am? How can Anna?”

“I don’t think they care,” Derek responded.

“How many professional assassins are we talking about?”

“I don’t think it’s just professionals anymore,” I said. “Unless Haigh was living a secret life.”

“No, I don’t think he’s ever tried anything like this. I think he was taking a chance.”

“That means anyone with the dead pool can take a chance,” Derek said.

“If Haigh had it, then who else does?” Jordan looked at us. “How easy is it to get this thing now?”

“Well, shit,” I said.

Afterward, Lydia explained that she wasn’t the first Banshee in her family and her connection to Meredith through her grandmother, who had been trying to find out for decades how she knew her girlfriend would be killed in a boating accident. Lorraine tried everything from doctors to the occult until she found Meredith at Eichen House. And nearly killed her.

“She was hospitalized for over a year,” Lydia said. “She never really recovered. My grandmother drove her insane. I drove her to suicide.” Lydia gave a heavy sigh. “All she ever wanted to do was help.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, setting it on the table we were standing around. “My grandmother created the code for the dead pool. They think she’s the Banshee who put the names out in the first place.” She pushed the paper towards us. “She left me this message in the same code.”

“And it would have been too easy for her to leave the key, huh?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Lydia put the paper back into her bag. “I have some work to do. I’ll see you guys later.”

“We should go too,” Jordan said.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure you want to go home after this lovely day.”

I slid the door to the loft shut and headed down the stairs to the elevator.

“Trish, wait.”

I turned back to Jordan. “What?”

“We need to talk about this.”

“Here? Wouldn’t you rather do it at my place? Or yours?”

“Right here. I want to know everything. About you. About Anna. About your dad. Everything. No more lies.”

I sighed. “No more lies,” I agreed.

“I want to know the real reason that kid had the gun to you.”

I wasn’t looking forward to reliving that. “Derek and I went to the sheriff’s station looking for Scott. It was the night of the full moon and Peter had used Lydia to get Derek to the old Hale house to use his Alpha powers to resurrect himself.”

Jordan gave me a blank look.

“It’s still confusing to me too.”

“Peter was dead?”

“Yeah. Stiles, Jackson, and Allison might have set him on fire and Derek clawed his throat out.”

“And you’re letting your sister around him?”

“He’s a bit like his old self when he’s with Anna. And Anna isn’t a shell. I’m willing to let them be together.”

“So why were you looking for Scott?”

“Because we needed to work together to stop the homicidal lizard and his master along with being united against Gerard Argent, who had declared war on us over Kate. By the time we got to the station, Matt already had Stilinski, Stiles, and Scott hostage and had forced Jackson to kill several deputies. At this time, all anyone knew about me was my magical abilities. The Kanima paralyzed Derek and Stiles and forced me and Scott to meet Melissa when she came to identify Matt as the kid we stopped in the hallway the night of a murder.” I’m sure I would remember that night for the rest of my life. “Matt shot Scott to force Melissa to cooperate and when I knelt down to make sure Scott would heal, he put the gun to the back of my head.”

Jordan remained silent.

“That was the night Melissa found out about the true side of Beacon Hills.”

“So you pretty much just let people find out before you confess what you are.”

“No, I confessed what I am to the pack after I was poisoned and almost died.” I looked at Jordan. “Not the first time I’ve almost died.”

“And your dad? Did you lie about him not being in your life? What is he?”

“I never lied to you, Jordan. I just omitted certain truths about me.”

“Were you ever going to tell me what you are?”

“I was going to tell you tonight. It’s the important thing I wanted to tell you.”

Jordan fell silent again. “I’m not sure if I prefer this or you being pregnant.”

“What made… Oh. I guess I could have worded that differently.”

Jordan turned back toward the elevator door.

“We can go back to my place,” I said. “I’ll make dinner, and we’ll go through the bestiary.”

Jordan shook his head. “Trish, no. I thought I knew who you were. But it turned out I never knew you at all.”

I felt as if he’d just driven a knife into my heart.

“You couldn’t even trust me enough to tell me this.”

“It wasn’t exactly first date conversation material.”

“Afterwards?”

“I was trying to protect you from this burden. After I found out you were on the dead pool, I tried to tell you. I just didn’t know how. I was going to tell you the day the school was quarantined, but you got called in for work.”

“It’s too late, Trish. You can give me all the excuses you want, but you didn’t trust me with this. How do I know if you ever trusted me? If you just used me as your contact in the sheriff’s office.”

“What?”

Jordan turned away.

“Jordan.” I reached out and touched his arm and he moved away from me.

“Don’t. I’m going home. It’s been a long day and I think I’ve had too much excitement for one day.” He turned away and called the elevator.

“Alright, then. I… I’ll take you home.”

“Don’t bother, Trish.”

I stopped, looking at him.

“I’ll find my own way home. Don’t call me to pretend to check up on me.”

I was sure the hurt showed on my face as my heart felt like it shattered. The doors closed and I sat down on the stairs, trying to hold the tears in.

I wasn’t sure how long I was sitting there before the door slid open and Scott emerged.

“Trish?”

I looked up at him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Uh, Jordan just needed some time to himself.”

“Understandable.”

“You have school tomorrow. You should go get some sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Shoo.” I was thankful that Scott actually left.

Derek joined me on the stairs. “I don’t have to be a werewolf to hear your heart breaking.”

“I completely screwed up,” I said. “I was trying to protect him because I was terrified of losing him.” I gave a ragged sigh. “I lost him anyway.”

“Just give him time.” Derek put an arm around me and pulled me toward him. “He has a lot of information to process. Finding out you’re a supernatural creature can be quite the shock to the system.”

I scoffed a laugh. “You’re not going to threaten to rip his throat out with your teeth, are you?”

“The threat would be a bit hollow since I’m not a werewolf anymore.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, even though you might already know this.”

“Oh, God. What now?”

“Scott told me how Lydia unlocked the last part of the list.”

“Shit… Please tell me you weren’t the key.”

“I can, but I’d be lying.”

“Derek,” My voice sounded small, even to me.

Derek pulled me into a hug at that moment. “Hey, Trish, it’ll be okay.”

“You and Anna are the only family I have left. And if everyone has a copy of the dead pool with your powers going out of wack, you’ll be an easy target.”

“I’m not even sure if I’m even on the list anymore. I’ve… actually lost it all now.”

I looked up at him. “What?”

“The smell, healing, speed.” He flicked his fingers like he normally would to extend his claws with no result. “All of it is gone.”

“This has to be part of Kate’s plan. Stealing your powers for some reason.”

“Why would she want to steal my powers?”

“It’s Kate. She doesn’t give a reason for any of the shit she does.”

Derek shrugged, his facial expression telling me he agreed with me. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.” He stood and pulled me to my feet. “You’re upset and I don’t want you driving during a mental breakdown.”

“I’m not having a mental breakdown.”

“Well, you being by yourself with all these thoughts in your head about Jordan and my being human and trying to figure out how to protect everyone will. I want you to stay here tonight so you’re not alone.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I know you, Trish. You’re not fine. You’re overwhelmed and stretching yourself too thin. I get that’s what you are, but you can’t protect us if you don’t take care of yourself. Plus I could use the company because I don’t want to be by myself tonight either.”

“I thought Braeden was staying with you.”

“She’s trying to figure out how Haige got a hold of the dead pool and seeing if there’s a way she can interrogate him, too.”

I realized that Derek was right and I really didn’t want to be alone tonight. Anna had made plans not to be home while I explained everything to Jordan during our dinner and now that dinner wasn’t happening, I would be alone with my thoughts of my failures, both past and present. “I’ll crash here tonight. You’re right. I don’t want to be alone either.”

~~~

When I got home I didn’t look to see if Jordan had been by yet to get the few things he had here. I really didn’t want to, so I made myself coffee and tried to give myself a pep talk. I was still sitting at the kitchen table with my now cold, untouched coffee when Anna came home from school.

“I know how everyone’s getting the dead pool,” she said.

“How?”

“What’s wrong?”

“How are they getting the dead pool?” I didn’t want to dump my emotions onto my sister, even though I knew I couldn’t hide them from her.

Luckily, she decided not to press me and instead handed me a printout. “Liam’s printer went off last night by itself and this printed off. And it was also printing off Coach’s printer at school.”

I took the printout and read what was on it.

~~_Sean Walcott 250_ ~~

~~_David Walcott 250_ ~~

~~_Michael Walcott 250_ ~~

~~_Christina Walcott 250_ ~~

_Lydia Martin 20_

_Scott McCall 25_

~~_Demarco Montana 250_ ~~

_Patricia Roberts 17_

_Roxanna Roberts 4_

~~_Carrie Hudson 500_ ~~

_Kayleen Bettcher 250_

_Kira Yukimura 6_

_Elias Town 250_

_Kate Argent 12_

_Noshiko Yukimura 5_

_Joanne McLaughlin 1_

~~_Steve Grace 1_ ~~

_Tom Hill 1_

_Brett Talbot 1_

_Thomas Roberts 1_

~~_Reed Schall 250_ ~~

~~_Richard Benefield 250_ ~~

~~_Jack Marsland 250_ ~~

~~_Joy Waldrop 250_ ~~

~~_Cheryl Calix 250_ ~~

_Jordan Parrish 5_

_Satomi Ito 10_

_Malia Hale 4_

_Liam Dunbar 18_

~~_Meredith Walker 1_ ~~

_Liz Moore 1_

~~_Patrick Clark 1_ ~~

_Bree Leverett 250_

_Kaitlyn Schaar 250_

_Genevive Cary 250_

_Angelique Fain 250_

_Lorilee Rohr 250_

_Brittani Kegley 250_

It was an updated roster of the dead pool. I immediately noticed that Derek had been taken off and Peter still wasn’t on it, but Derek’s bounty seemed to have been added to Liam’s.

“Why is Liam 18 now?”

Anna shrugged. “I don’t know. But why did Derek get taken off?”

“Because Derek is human now.”

“Wait, what?”

“Whatever Kate did to him took away his powers. She took away his werewolf.” I saw the dark look in her eyes. “We’ll figure out how to get it back from her when we’re not trying to survive assassins.”

“Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

I sighed. “Did Lydia and Stiles tell you what happened?”

“Lydia said that Jordan is some kind of fire supernatural after someone tried to kill him by setting him on fire.”

“He’s a bit upset that I didn’t tell him earlier and he might have dumped me over it.”

“Why?”

“That’s between me and him, Anna. Please stay out of it.”

“Fine.”

**DEREK**

I wasn’t expecting a visitor, so I was a bit cautious when I approached the door. I took the chance and opened it, to find that my visitor was Parrish. I stepped aside and let him in.

“You’re lucky I answered the door, considering all I can defend myself with is a gun right now.” I saw the box in his hands. “What’s this?”

“The stuff Trish had at my place.”

“Why are you bringing it here instead of to her?”

“I already got my stuff from her place and I know she’ll be home today. I don’t want to hear any of her excuses.”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?”

“You’ve known about her your whole life. She couldn’t tell me the truth from the start. Did she think I wouldn’t understand?”

“Actually yes,” I said. “And I didn’t know what she was until after she almost died.” I motioned to the couch. “I’ve known since we were kids that Trish could use magic. What I didn’t know was she was a rare Druid until after a Darach tried to poison her and nearly succeeded.”

“Darach?”

“Dark Druid. One that used their power to hurt instead of heal. When Jennifer started her sacrifices, she poisoned Trish somehow using mistletoe. None of us knew she was an Eamonn until she finally told us. The only ones who had were Deaton and her mom.”

Parrish didn’t say anything.

“Trish thinks by not telling anyone she’s an Eamonn, she’s protecting us. They’re rare and it’s even rarer for them to survive past their early 20s. Trish was able to keep Anna in the dark for fifteen years. She probably would still be in the dark had it not been for Peter. She knew that if you knew about her being worth 17 million, you’d try to protect her and that goes against her nature.” I sighed. “To be honest, you were going to be the first person she ever willingly told about herself.”

“What?”

“Trish doesn’t come clean until after someone finds out about her or the secret world of Beacon Hills. She was going to tell you without you having prior knowledge.” I crossed my arms. “Haige kinda ruined that for her.”

“I’ll protect myself,” Parrish said. “I don’t need her.” He handed me a key. “Can you make sure she gets these?”

“What are you afraid of?”

“I just don’t want to see her.” Parrish turned and headed toward the door.

“She did it because she loves you, you know.”

He paused as I said that.

“I could see it in the way she looks at you and, when I could hear it, in her heart. She wouldn’t have just told anyone her biggest secret.”

He turned back toward me. “Then why wait so long?”

“Because it took her this long to figure it out.”

Parrish opened the door. “I need time to think about this, but right now being away from her is for the best.” He then walked out the door and closed it.

“Kinda wishing I could go through with my usual threat right about now,” I muttered.

**TRISH**

I quickly grabbed my phone when the text notification went off. My heart jumped to my throat when I saw it was Jordan.

 _We need to talk_ it simply said.

I dialed him, wanting to speak to him directly, not through text. My heart dropped when he didn’t answer but sent another text.

_At work. Can’t talk now. Meet me after work?_

_Where?_ He then texted me an address and I recognized it from the warehouse district. _Why a warehouse?_

_It’s private and we won’t be bothered._

_So is my house._

_Please, Trish._

_Fine. What time do you want to meet?_

_6_

I arrived at the empty warehouse, still wondering why Jordan had wanted to meet here.

“Jordan?” I called. I pulled out my phone to check the time and saw it was a few minutes after 6. And there was no message saying he would be late. I dialed him since it wasn’t like him to be late.

It went to voicemail. “Where are you? You’re not answering your phone and you told me to meet you here. Don’t know why but I’m here. Call me back.”

I waited several more minutes before calling him again and leaving him another voicemail. I also added a text into the mix. Now I was beginning to think that this was Jordan’s revenge for the whole not telling him things. I gave a huff and dialed him again, waiting for his voicemail. Pain suddenly exploded through my left thigh and I went down with a scream of pain and surprise, dropping my phone as I did. I looked down to see a crossbow bolt sticking out of my leg. And it hurt like a son of a bitch. I quickly took my belt off, glad I was actually wearing one, and made a tourniquet before pulling the bolt out and letting out a curse. Numbness was beginning to travel down it and I hoped that the bolt hadn’t destroyed the nerves in it. Or I could have just completely cut the circulation off. I tried to stand.

“Where are you going?” a man’s voice with a French accent asked. “You cannot run far with that leg.”

I immediately knew that I’d walked into a trap. I instantly went into fight mode. He was right about me not being able to go far, but I wasn’t going to make his payday easy. “Maybe not,” I responded, my eyes changing as three men came out of the shadows. “But I’ll still kick your ass.” I threw my left hand out and one of the men went flying. It was all fair, considering they attacked first. “Should have brought more men to deal with someone worth 17 million.”

One came at me as I was balanced on my good leg and he tackled me. I used my strongest force spell to get distance between us as I fell. He went flying deeper into the warehouse and I heard a loud crash as he hit something that sounded like plaster. The first assassin came at me again, he and the third assassin aiming their crossbows at me. Very Hunter looking crossbows.

“Are your legs going numb yet?”

My entire lower leg had no feeling to it. Everything below the tourniquet.

“Your other leg should be feeling numb right about now. Actually, everything from the waist down should either have no feeling or be very numb very soon.”

I realized I’d gravely underestimated these assassins. They’d laced the crossbows with something that could bring even the biggest Alpha down.

“Kanima venom.”

The only lost feeling was in my left leg, although my other leg and hips were starting to tingle, but not as quickly as my left leg had. I hoped the tourniquet was tight enough to prevent my entire body from becoming paralyzed.

“That’s a smart Druid. I wondered at first why a Druid would be on the list.” Great. He was going to assassinate me with words. Just my luck. “And why one would be worth as much as you. Now I see. A magic-wielding Druid is not very common.”

“I’m pretty sure we’re on the endangered species list.”

Frenchy chuckled. “I like you. You’re…, oh what is the word you Americans use? Ah! Sassy. It’s a pity I have to kill you. It is nothing personal, mind you.”

The crossbow was aimed at my head and I looked the man in the eye.

Then something slammed into both of the assassins, sending them flying. He crouched in front of me and roared. I knew a werewolf roar when I heard one. But I knew he wasn’t Scott. He was at the bonfire at the school with Anna, Malia, and Liam. And he didn’t have the same shape as Peter. No one in the pack even knew I was here. Assassin number three didn’t get back up, but I saw his chest rising and falling. Frenchy did, firing a bolt at the werewolf. The werewolf dodged, leaping onto the assassin. I swear I heard his skull crack. The werewolf stood and backed away before turning back to me. Surprise doesn’t quite cover my reaction once I recognized who it was. His placement on the dead pool made sense now. Thomas’ floundering excuses made sense now. But my jaw was still on the ground.

“You know I’m not going to hurt you.” He was fully transformed, golden eyes bright as he slowly walked toward me.

“Dad?” I managed to croak.

He had a surprised look on his face as he knelt next to me. “How bad is it?”

“The bolt had Kanima venom on it.” I could hear the shock in my own voice. “I can’t feel my left leg at all.”

“What were you doing here alone?”

“I got a text from Jordan to meet me here.” I looked around for my phone. The call had ended and I wasn’t sure how much of that fight ended up on my boyfriend’s voicemail. Ex boyfriend’s voicemail.

“We need to get you someplace safe to ride out the venom. Do you want me to take you to the Emissary?”

I shook my head. “Take me home,” I said. “I can make something that will counter the venom. There’s a room in the basement where I can hide if I need to.”

Thomas nodded and gently picked me up. “Hope you don’t mind if I drive your car.”

“Do I look like I can drive?”

Thomas gave a laugh. “Royally dumb question, huh?”

“Once I get this venom out, you have a lot of explaining to do.” I held on to Thomas as he carried me out of that warehouse.


	11. The Last Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trish learns the truth about Thomas. The pack takes a stand while Anna, Lydia, Stiles, and Malia race to find out how to stop the dead pool. Anna makes a heartbreaking discovery.

**THOMAS**

By the time we reached the house, both of Trish’s legs were paralyzed. She also seemed to be handling being poisoned by kanima venom and looking death in the face very well. Much better than what I would have. Trish directed me to Elizabeth’s secret room and she opened it. Once inside I set her on one of the cots before following her direction on making the quick heal. She downed it before she looked up at me.

“No more lies, Thomas,” she said. “No more excuses. Why did you leave?”

I hesitated, then sighed. “I knew Elizabeth was a Druid. I was aware of her world, but I wasn’t always a part of it.”

“You were human.”

“Pure blooded and blissfully ignorant before I met Liz. When we started getting serious, she told me the family secret, showed me this room.”

“You weren’t mad because she didn’t tell you?”

“Not at all. I understood the need for secrecy. Look what happened during the witch hysteria.”

Her look said I had a point.

“When she was pregnant with you, she said there was a chance that you would inherit her abilities. That you’d be a Druid as well. She gave that same warning with Anna. I didn’t expect to come back and find out that neither one of you are human.”

“You’re dodging.”

“I was bitten by a rogue Alpha. One the Calaveras were hunting. Elizabeth taught me how to anchor, but I was afraid that the Calaveras would find out I was bitten by him and use my family as bait to make me help them find him. I left to protect my babies. It’s not the best decision I made and I regret now being here for either one of you, but I had to keep you safe.”

A look like she just realized something came across Trish’s face before she frowned. “You could have called. I blamed myself for you leaving. I get that you couldn’t tell a nine-year-old you were a werewolf, but you could have called me when Mom told you I knew.”

“Liz never told me you knew. She never told me you were an Eamonn. She never told me that Anna knew either.”

“Anna found out after Mom died.” She paused. “Who told you I was an Eamonn?”

“Noah. He assumed I knew already, I guess.”

“Great. He’s telling my business to everyone.”

“Okay, so what’s Anna?”

Trish shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’ve been trying to figure that out for a while. Obviously not a werewolf or an Eamonn. Pretty sure she’s not a kitsune. She heals quickly, she’s empathic, you really can’t hide shit from her, she can calm people. I just don’t know what the hell she is and I’ve been through Mom’s bestiary a hundred times.”

“Where is it? Maybe I gave give it a look.”

“Upstairs in my room. Which used to be Mom’s room. I moved back home after she died.”

“Get some rest and let that potion work, Hermione.”

“You know I can still set your ass on fire, right?”

I passed through the living room and caught sight of a photo on the mantle. Trish and Anna as kids were smiling through the glass. I recognized the two oldest Hale kids. Trish and Laura had been inseparable, Derek usually not too far behind them. The other two in the picture I didn’t know, but the boy next to Trish had the Hale features. It was good to see Trish happy. I frowned, remembering something that Trish had said. I headed upstairs and pulled my phone and wallet out. I pulled a card out and dialed the number.

 _Parrish_.

“You know, there are better ways to deal with your anger than setting up your ex-girlfriend,” I said, the words just spilling out of my mouth.

_Excuse me?_

“You knew Trish would be willing to meet you, so you decided to set her up. What was going to be your cut?”

_Who is this?_

“Answer the question, Deputy.”

_Is this Thomas? Trish put you up to this?_

“No, she didn’t. But you underestimated my daughter.”

_What are you talking about?_

“You told Trish to meet you at that warehouse, knowing damn well that she was walking into a trap.”

_What?_

“Don’t act like you don’t know what you did.”

_I haven’t talked to Trish since the night I found out she lied to me. I haven’t even seen her or texted her._

“She has the proof on her phone.”

_She’s left me several voicemails and texts. I haven’t answered any of them. But I would never set Trish up like that. Is she okay?_

“If you didn’t set her up, then who did?”

_Is Trish okay?_

“Why do you check your messages and find out. And maybe call her back.” I hung up and took a deep breath to find my anchor before going to find the bestiary.

**ANNA**

I walked into the sheriff’s office and looked around for Lydia. She was sitting on the bench outside Stilinski’s office. She’d called me to tell me they found the Benefactor and she might need my help getting through to her. She also told me how Brunski tried to kill her and Stiles and I told her how someone tried to kill Scott, Malia, and Liam until me and Mason destroyed a generator to stop the music at the bonfire. Apparently, they were using a frequency that only the wolves and Malia could hear. My dad had also called me to tell me that Trish had been attacked but was alive and safe and that he would keep an eye on her until she healed. I was surprised that my sister was letting him, considering how much she hated him. I sat down next to Lydia and noticed that she was asleep.

“Lydia?”

She lifted her head. “Hmm? She say anything?”

“What?”

“Oh. Hi, Anna. I must have dozed off. Sorry.”

“You said you found out who the Benefactor was.”

“You’re not going to believe it. It’s Meredith.”

“Meredith? I thought she committed suicide.”

“She blackmailed Brunski into robbing Peter and helping her fake her death. She used my grandmother’s code to make the dead pool.”

I knew the connection between Lydia’s grandmother and Meredith from Trish, but even I couldn’t believe how much of a mastermind the older Banshee was. I always thought she was off her rocker. The door opened and several men and Stilinski walked out. We stood and Stilinski turned to us.

“Anna? What are you doing here?”

“Moral support,” I replied. “And I thought I told you to go home.”

“I thought I told you I wasn’t going anywhere. Did they get anything out of her?”

“Should have gone with the medium.”

At that moment, Jordan walked around the corner looking like he ate something bitter, followed by several other deputies carrying boxes.

“We went through everything in Brunski’s office. And so far, everything amounts to nothing.” He noticed the two of us. “Did you not go home yet, Lydia?”

“Not until Meredith starts talking.”

Jordan’s attention went to me. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be with Trish and your dad.”

“And suddenly you’re worried about Trish?”

“Your dad told me what happened. If he sent you here to accuse me of getting Trish hurt…”

“You _did_ hurt her!” I crossed my arms. “So what she didn’t tell you right away. That’s her defense mechanism. She’s lost people for knowing too much. She was protecting you. But you’re too damn selfish to think about this is how she protects people and you can’t blame her for her nature. And yeah, I’m blaming you because someone used you against her and she got hurt because of it.”

“Whoa!” Stilinski stepped in. “What happened? What do you mean, Trish got hurt?”

“Someone,” I looked at Jordan as I said it. “Texted Trish to meet her in a warehouse because they needed to talk. Next thing she knows, she’s being attacked.”

“That wasn’t me. I haven’t talked or texted her.” He pulled out his phone and opened his messages. A puzzled look came across his face. “Uh, I didn’t send this.”

Stilinski frowned. “When was Trish attacked?”

“Last night, while Stiles and Lydia were being held hostage and Haige’s friends tried to burn Scott, Malia, and Liam.”

“Did you leave your phone unattended at any time, Parrish?”

Jordan slowly nodded. “On my desk when I went to get the print offs of the death certificates of the names that Lydia brought me.”

“Maybe if you could grow a pair and answer her calls and texts, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“How bad is she?” Stilinski asked. “She can heal like you guys, right?”

“Not exactly. She heals quickly, but not instantaneously.” I looked back at Jordan. “She could have died because she loves you and just wants you to let her explain her reasons.”

“You’re seventeen. What right do you have to come in here and give me the third degree about something that’s between me and your sister?”

Before I could retort, Lydia changed the subject. “Let us talk to Meredith.”

“We’ve already discussed this!”

“Both me and Anna have gotten through to her before. Just let us try.”

“That’s why Anna’s here, isn’t it?”

“Pretty much,” I confirmed.

“She’s not wrong,” Jordan agreed. “They got the key for the second part from her, didn’t they?”

“Fine.”

Meredith smiled when she saw me walk into the room, which I hoped was a good sign.

Once the door shut, Lydia started pacing as I sat next to her to monitor her emotions.

“I think I’m getting an idea of how all this happened,” she said. “You used Brunski, right? You knew he’d killed people, and that he would do it again.” Lydia sat on the other side of Meredith. “He used my grandmother’s code for the dead pool. He put it online. He took the money from the Hale Vault, then turned the bearer bonds into cash. He made the payments.”

I could feel uncertainty coming from Meredith. Lydia was breaking through again.

“Was it Brunski’s idea to fake your death?”

Meredith didn’t say anything.

“Did he get nervous because you helped us with one of the cypher keys.”

I took a chance and placed my hand over Meredith’s. She took it as a sign to break her silence.

“I wanted to help,” she said.

Stilinski and Jordan looked at each other, surprise on their faces.

“All you ever wanted to do was help,” I said. “We know that, Meredith. We know you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to talk and help us again.”

Meredith looked at me. “I do. But to only one person.”

“Who?” A part of me was hoping that person was Trish or me.

“Peter.” I was completely taken by shock who she’d named. She looked at Stilinski. “Peter Hale.”

**TRISH**

I picked up my phone and saw that Derek was calling me and I answered.

_I heard about what happened. Glad to know you’re alive, but are you in one piece?_

“For the most part. I have Thomas to thank for being a stalker.”

_Hunters?_

“How did you know?”

_They’re after Satomi and her pack. I hate to ask you this, but are you in fighting shape?_

“I was poisoned and still stood against the Alpha pack at your side. You’re really gonna ask me that?”

_Yeah, dumb question. You’re also a lot stronger now than you were. Satomi and her pack are hiding at Argent’s warehouse. Scott is calling in the calvary. Trying to end this once and for all._

“Satomi’s pack aren’t fighters. They’re Buddhist werewolves. They have this whole non-violence philosophy. Satomi is the only one that can fight.” I sighed and stood, testing how weak my legs still were. Luckily, I could stand, although my left leg still felt weak. “I’ll bring Thomas. The more, the merrier.”

_Trish, I don’t want you getting yourself killed._

“You’re going to be there. Someone’s gotta watch your ass.”

Derek laughed. _I’m pretty sure Braeden does just fine back there._

I heard Braeden in the background laughing.

“I’ll be there.” I hung up and opened the door and went to find Thomas to tell him what was going on.

I was pretty sure Chris had his entire arsenal at that warehouse.

“You planning on using all of this yourself?” I asked.

“If I have to.” He motioned to the combat knife strapped to my right thigh. “I see you remembered to bring it this time.”

“Figured I would need it this time.”

“Do you mind sharing your arsenal?” Thomas asked.

“Didn’t realize you were a Hunter.”

“I’m a P.I.” He picked up a rifle and a couple of clips. “Just because I’m a werewolf, doesn’t mean I don’t use a gun when needed.”

Everyone looked at me.

“Why is everyone looking at me like that? I just found out last night.” I looked at the table, picking up a pistol and checking the clip. I slid it back into place and pulled the slide back, loading one into the chamber and picked up a couple of clips for it.

“I didn’t know you knew how to use one,” Derek said.

“Nobody ever asked.”

Chris went to set up motion detectors. Braeden loaded her shotgun. Kira looked like she would throw up from nerves. Satomi tried to keep her pack calm. Thomas spoke with her, trying his best to help. I stood next to Derek, watching my dad. He’d agreed without hesitation to come with me, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to stop me. I was terrified, to be completely honest. This was where we were going to fight a war. I knew Malia and Stiles were trying to get to the bottom of Lorraine’s mystery. Lydia and Anna were trying to get through to Meredith trying to stop the dead pool. Scott joined us as me and Derek watched them.

“They’ll be okay,” he said.

“They’ve got claws and fangs,” Derek said. “But they’re not fighters.”

“That’s why I called you.”

“Well, try to remember I don’t have claws and fangs anymore either.”

“That’s why he called us,” I said, referring to me, Braeden, and Thomas.

“Am I the only one still hoping this is all just a false alarm?” Kira said.

“Because it’s not,” Thomas said.

“We could wait here all night and nothing happen.”

“I know these Hunters’ kind. They’ve thrown the Code to the wind with the smell of money. They don’t care that there are innocents here. They don’t care that no one here has taken an innocent life.”

Derek and I looked at each other, knowing his statement wasn’t exactly true.

“Scott,” Braeden asked. “You heard anything from Stiles or Lydia?”

“Lydia and Anna are still talking to Meredith. Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. They’re trying to stop it.”

“What if there is no stopping it?” Brett asked the question we were all thinking. “What if it doesn’t end until we’re all dead?”

The room grew uncomfortably silent. Until Derek broke it.

“Then let’s send a message,” he said. All eyes went to Derek. “Let’s make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn’t matter if they’re professional assassins, Hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun.”

I smirked, knowing the last bit was a reference to himself.

“Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money is gonna be put on another list. Our list. They get to be a name on our dead pool.”

“And it’s about to be a very long list,” I added. I turned to the others. “I am an Eamonn.” It felt liberating to admit it out loud. “My kind are known as protectors. And I promise you this: I will protect you until my last breath. They will know what an Eamonn can do. And if I die tonight, I’m taking as many of them down with me.” I saw the look of pride on Thomas’ face, along with the look of fear.

“I don’t expect you to die for us, Trish,” Satomi said.

“It’s in my nature, Satomi. That’s why I wasn’t afraid to be in a house full of werewolves. I don’t want to die, but protecting is what we do. And there’s a reason we’re so rare. But let’s hope that the rest of our pack stops this before it comes to that.”

“Yeah, because I’m pretty sure Anna would find a way to raise you so she can kill you herself,” Derek commented, drawing a laugh out of me and Thomas.

“She would totally do that, too.” I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that and I prayed to every god that would listen that the others succeeded.

**ANNA**

I called Peter to tell him that we could have possibly found who stole his money and could be the Benefactor. When we explained that Meredith was possible the Benefactor, he expressed doubts until I convinced him to go talk to her. He sat across from Meredith with Jordan looking on, while me, Lydia, and Stilinski watched through the two-way mirror. They stared at each other in silence before Peter finally spoke.

“Okay… Meredith, where’s my money?”

She gave him a confused look.

“Or more correctly, what’s left of it.”

Meredith only looked like she was studying him before she slowly reached out and touched the left side of his face. He let her for a moment before he grabbed her wrist and jerked her arm away.

“Let her go,” Jordan said, placing a hand on his gun. When Peter didn’t immediately comply, Jordan repeated the command. He slowly put her arm back down on the table.

“Why did you do that?” Peter asked.

“They’re all gone,” Meredith simply said.

My jaw hit the floor. I knew she was talking about the burn scars. “How did she know about that?”

“They’ve met before,” Lydia said.

“The burns. They’re all gone.”

I looked at Stilinski. “When was she hospitalized?”

Stilinski turned to pick up her file.

“Meredith, you put everyone, including my nephew, niece, girlfriend, and daughter, on a death list. Don’t you think you owe us the slightest explanation of why?”

“You said it had to be kept secret.”

Peter was in shocked silence. “I… I said? I said that to you?”

“You said it.”

“Meredith. Allow me to remind you, yet again, we have never met. Ever.”

“You don’t remember?”

“No,” he paused. “But maybe you do.”

“Peter!” I screamed as he jumped up and shoved the table aside.

He then grabbed Jordan and shoved him against the wall hard before putting his claws into the back of Meredith’s neck.

**TRISH**

The waiting was the hardest. Chris and Satomi seemed to be having a heart to heart.

“Trish.”

I looked over at my dad.

“You have to promise me you won’t deliberately put yourself in harm’s way. I know it’s your nature, but please survive this.”

“That’s all I’ve been doing since I was a kid,” I said. “I’ve survived everything that’s tried to kill me. Especially the things since I got dragged back into this world.” I glanced over at Derek as I said that and I saw him smirk. He knew that was his fault.

“I need you to survive for Anna. She needs you, not me.”

“Hey, don’t you dare be the protective father now. Look, we got lucky that Noah and Alan were there to be our father figures. Yes, I was pissed you left. And I’m pissed you didn’t call or write or whatever. But Anna needs to know who her dad is, too. So you survive this and we’ll see if Anna is ready to know the truth.”

“Fair enough.”

We heard a steady beeping and everyone’s attention went in that direction.

“They’re here,” Chris announced and we all went into our positions.

Two silver canisters flew through the air.

“Get back!” Braeden cried as the room filled with smoke and gunfire erupted.

I threw up my shield to protect as many as I could as the hunters turned assassins stormed into the room. “Get them back!” I cried. “Somebody better start covering my ass!”

Chris was the first to fire back, followed by the other two gun-toting fighters. Most of their attention seemed to be on me. I knew my shield would only hold for so long, so I gathered my power and shoved the shield forward, hitting the Hunters in front of me and sending them flying backward. I dove to my left and behind cover, drawing the pistol. I saw a Hunter come around into my view and I pulled the trigger, hitting him in the shoulder. All around me, I could hear gunfire, snarls, and roars. I eventually exhausted my clips and reverted to my magic and my knife.

“How many are there?!” I heard Derek cry.

“Too many!” Braeden yelled back.

I was throwing Hunters around, but with every one we knocked out, three more replaced them. There were just too many of them.

“Trish!” I turned as my dad ran towards me. “There’s too many of them. You need to get Satomi’s pack out of here. You’re the only one who can protect them!” He gave a cry as a bullet hit him in the back and I sent his assailant crashing into a pillar. “Go, Trish.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. Just make sure they survive this.”

I turned and ran, using magic to clear a way toward the others. I then heard a teenaged girl scream and I detoured. I found Lori cowered against some filing cabinets with a look of horror on her face. I heard vicious snarling and saw Scott on top of a Hunter attacking him with a ferociousity I had never seen come from him.

“Scott!” I screamed, darting toward him.

Scott stopped, mid-strike, and I noticed his skin had taken on the same hue as Deucalion’s. He looked up at me.

“This is not you, Scott. You’re a predator. You’re not a killer.”

His skin reverted back to its normal tone as a cell phone started to buzz. The gunfire slowly stopped and after a moment the Hunters retreated. Scott pulled the Hunter’s phone from his pocket and read whatever was there before he turned it to where he could see.

**ALL CONTRACTS TERMINATED**

It was finally over. Stiles and Malia had been able to stop the dead pool. We were all able to emerge from cover, most of us blood covered.

As soon as Thomas saw me he made a beeline and took my face into his. “Are you okay? Any holes?”

I gave a laugh. “No holes, Dad. Can’t say the same about you.”

“I’ll heal.”

I pulled him into a hug, relieved that he was okay. If you would have told me two years ago that I would be hugging my dad, glad that he was alive, I probably would have punched you. But here I was, hugging him tightly with ebbing adrenaline and trying not to cry.

“Let’s go home, Trish,” he said, looking at the others. “Let’s all go home.”

**ANNA**

We rushed in, Jordan already holding his weapon pointed at Peter, Stilinski joining him.

“Don’t touch them!” I cried. “If you break the bond, you’ll kill them both!”

“Then what are we supposed to do, Anna?” Stilinski snapped. “Your boyfriend just sunk his claws into someone’s neck again.”

“Wait them out.”

“What the hell is he doing to her?” Jordan asked.

“Memory transference. Trish can do the same thing with a spell, but werewolves have to use their claws to do it.”

Meredith suddenly gasped and started muttering. Lydia cocked her head to the side, the look on her face she always got before a prediction.

“What is she saying, Lydia?” I asked.

“She was in the hospital. The same hospital.”

“Same as who?”

“Anna was right. They shared a room.”

I looked between Peter and Meredith, hating that my gut was right.

“It was right after the fire. Meredith could hear him.”

“He was in a coma,” I said. “What was she hearing?”

“Everything. She was hearing every thought in his head, like they’d somehow found the same wavelength. And now everything going through his mind was also going right into hers.”

“For how long?” Stilinski asked.

“Weeks. Maybe even months.”

“It’s not like he did it purposely,” I said.

“Maybe not. But she was hearing everything like he was standing right over her bed talking about the fire. About getting revenge. How he warned Talia that the Argents would do something like this. He ranted that Talia made them weak and they were picked off because of it.” Lydia looked at me. “Anna, the dead pool was his idea. It was his idea to put every supernatural on a hit list. To use the bearer bonds to hire assassins. Peter is the Benefactor.”

I didn’t want to believe that Peter was behind all of this and I shook my head. I didn’t want to believe that he wanted me dead. Trish and Derek and Malia. I didn’t want to believe that Peter wanted all of us dead. That he would hire people like the Mute and the Chemist, send the list out to anyone wanting a chance. I could feel the hurt in my chest. My Peter would never do that.

At that moment, he pulled his claws out of Meredith and collapsed. Jordan darted forward and caught Meredith before she fell out of the chair. Stilinski pointed his gun at Peter. Peter looked up at the gun.

“It was your idea and you don’t even remember,” Lydia said.

Peter had an angry look on his face. “How the hell was I supposed to remember any of that?”

“She got it from you.”

Peter looked at me, his face softening at the look on my face.

“Why?” I only whispered.

“I was out of my mind. You know that, Angel.” He looked at the others “Do you know what it’s like for one of us to be in a coma? Paralyzed but cognizant? You try not going crazy.”

“She was listening to you,” Jordan said.

“She was listening to the ranting and raving of a lunatic.” He paused. “A former lunatic. I’m much healthier now.” He looked at me. “Because of Anna.”

“But you wanted me dead. You wanted Trish and Derek and Malia dead.”

“I had nothing to do with this.”

My vision was blurring. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that it had been the workings of the coma.

“If she was following your lead on this,” Stilinski said. “Then how do we know there isn’t more?”

“Stealing my own money? Really?”

“You were going to use it anyway.”

“Stop,” Lydia sudden said. “Stop it. This is what she wants. It’s why she’s here. Look around, Sheriff. There’s four people in here right now. Four people still on the dead pool.”

“But not Peter,” I said. “He’s the only supernatural in Beacon Hills not on the dead pool.”

“We don’t want to kill each other,” Peter said.

“The only person I’m pointing a gun at is you”

“Then you better make it a perfect shot, Sheriff, because I don’t go down easy.”

“I’m willing to bet that a bullet between the eyes doesn’t heal real fast.”

Peter glanced at me. “You should also have an excellent excuse for Trish on why you gunned down her sister’s boyfriend right in front of her.”

“Just stop!” I said.

“This department’s getting more corrupted by the second. What are you gonna charge me with, Sheriff? How are you going to explain this to a judge? Telepathic girl overhears thoughts of comatose werewolf and decides to enact his plans for retribution? They’re gonna be pointing a gun at your head and asking you to go quietly.”

“Stop it!” I screamed, the tears finally falling. “People are dying and we’re at each other’s throats playing the blame game and trying to kill each other!” I felt Jordan’s hand on my shoulder and despite the fact I was mad at him for breaking up with Trish, I felt comforted by it.

Stilinski lowered the gun. “Get out.”

Peter smirked as he walked by him.

“That’s twice, Peter.”

Peter stopped in the doorway.

“There’s not gonna be a third.”

Peter then looked over at me and I looked away. “I never wanted any of my family dead. I never wanted you dead, Angel.”

I looked back at him. “Trish almost died last night. Because of the dead pool. If she died, it would have been because the dead pool was your idea.”

A hurt look came across his face. “Anna.”

“Just leave, Peter.” He opened his mouth. “Please. Leave.”

He looked down before slowly turning and walking away and I could feel that he was hurt by my words.

“No!” Meredith screamed, darting forward only to be caught by Jordan. “It’s not finished! No, it’s not finished!” She struggled against Jordan.” No! It’s not done! It’s not finished!"

I left the station and went straight home, declining Jordan’s offer to take me home. Trish’s car was gone which meant she must have recovered from her hundredth near-death experience and ran off again. I decided to wait for her in the living room, what I learned tonight replaying through my head. I knew he wanted revenge for the fire, but to pull in every supernatural in Beacon Hills, to even want people that weren’t involved dead, it cut deep. After all this time trying to convince everyone that he wasn’t a monster, that he could be trusted, that he didn’t know what he was doing. Now I wasn’t so sure.

I don’t know how long I was sitting there before I heard the front door open.

“I don’t care,” Trish was saying. “You’re not going back to your hotel looking like you committed a murder.”

“I look like _I_ committed a murder?” a man said. “I look and feel like the murder victim.”

“How many times were you shot?”

“I kinda wasn’t counting. I was a little busy trying not to die.”

“Alright, you have me there.” Trish walked in with our dad at that moment, both of them looking like they just went through a war. Trish looked tired while our dad indeed looked like he committed a murder. “Anna,” Trish greeted me with a tired smile. That smile faded the next moment. “What’s wrong?” She sat next to me.

“We found out who the Benefactor was,” I said.

“I thought it was Meredith.”

“It’s complicated. She wasn’t the Benefactor. She just put it into motion.” I looked up at Trish, tears forming again. “Sissy, it was Peter.”

“What?”

“It was all Peter’s idea. He’s the Benefactor. Meredith was in the same room as him after the fire and she heard everything in his head. He wanted revenge on the Argents, on everyone, for the fire. He wanted to kill every supernatural in Beacon Hills because of what Kate did. He wanted you dead. And he wanted me dead.” I buried my face into her chest and she hugged me tightly. “I don’t understand why.”

“I don’t know, Anna.”

I was expecting her to tell me “I told you so.” I would have deserved it.

“But I do have some good news.”

I didn’t answer.

“Malia and Stiles stopped the dead pool.”

I looked up at her. “What?”

“We took a final stand.”

My eyes widened. That explained why Dad was so bloody.

“While we were fighting, they followed the clues to the lakehouse and found some old IBM computers and they were able to shut them off and shut down the dead pool. We don’t have to worry about being killed by assassins now.”

“We’re safe now?”

“We’re safe now. No more looking over our shoulders.”

“Why is Dad here?”

“He wants to make up for lost time. And he might have been shot several times and I told him I’d get the bullets out so he could heal properly.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk to me right now,” Dad said. “But I do want to sit down with you and explain everything.”

“Okay, but not now. I just want my sissy right now.”

“Fair enough. The bullets can wait, Trish. Not the first time I’ve been shot and my healing tends to push them out anyway.”

“You know where the bathroom is.”

Dad nodded and left us alone. Trish didn’t say anything, but just held me tight while I cried.


	12. Missing Teens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek tries to distract Trish from current events. Liam opens up to Anna. Trish goes on a rescue mission with Lydia.

**DEREK**

_Why the hell are you calling me in the middle of the night?_

“Well, for one, it’s not the middle of the night. I waited until a reasonable hour.”

_You call 7 am a reasonable hour?_

“I’m sorry. Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?”

_What do you want, Derek?_

“Lydia showed up at the loft last night. Set off the alarm and then screamed in mine and Braeden’s face.”

Trish was quiet for several minutes and I hoped it was her caffeine lacking brain trying to comprehend what I said and not that she fell asleep on me.

“Trish?”

She dropped an f-bomb.

“I know what it means.”

_Don’t you dare think that!_

“You can’t protect me from this.”

_Me and Deaton are working on a way to reverse this, get your powers back._

“What if they’re just gone?”

_They can’t be just gone. There has to be a way for us to reverse what Kate did._

“Trish.”

_I don’t want to lose you, too._

I paused, then remembered how much emotional stress she was under. That she’d been under since I pulled her back into our world. “This isn’t about Jordan, is it?”

_This is about losing another member of my family. Another part of me. I can’t do this anymore, Derek. I can’t keep losing family like this. Your mom. Josh. Mom. Laura. Erica. Boyd. Allison. Aiden. I can’t keep losing my pack. I can’t keep not being able to protect you guys. So if I can somehow find out how to get your powers back, I’m going to do it. Because I’m tired of having to bury people I love._

“I’m sorry, Trish,” I said. “I should have never pulled you back into this. I should never have made you go to that lacrosse game. You and Anna…”

_Anna would have found out eventually. And I would have had to act like an Eamonn eventually. And we would have been on the dead pool no matter what you did that night. But I can see why Eamonns don’t have long lifespans._

I gave a chuckle. “You should also know that Scott came by before school. He apparently has been hanging on to a duffle full of Peter’s money that he found in Garrett’s locker.”

_What was he doing? Keeping it safe?_

“I’m pretty sure he was considering keeping it. There was over half a million in there.”

 _Not gonna lie. I’d be tempted to_.

I laughed. “With both your salaries, it would be tempting. But to be honest, he’s damn lucky any of it was found.”

_This is true._

“Anna still not talking to him?”

_She’s still upset over him being the Benefactor. She’ll forgive him. She always does._

“I’ll talk to you later. Take care of yourself, okay?”

_You know I can’t promise that._

“Well, try to.”

After I hung up, I realized how much of an ass I’d been a year ago by making her take me to the lacrosse game to keep an eye on Scott. Going to her when Peter nearly killed me and forcing her to risk arrest for harboring me. All the crap I’d put her through when I was Alpha. All the crap I was currently putting her through.

“Everything okay?” Braeden asked.

“Just worried about Trish.”

“You told her about Lydia, didn’t you?”

“She would have found out from Scott telling Anna.”

“Hmm. Good point.” She sat down next to me. “Anything we can do to get her mind off it.”

“She’s an Eamonn, it’s kinda hardwired into her nature.” I stopped, an idea forming. “But I can annoy her better than anyone she knows.”

“I thought the point was you not dying.”

I got up and went over to my keys and the box of stuff Jordan had left with me. “I need to pay her a visit anyway.”

Braeden was amused when we stopped by the grocery store first. If I knew Trish, her fridge would be full of takeout, since I knew she hadn’t been shopping.

“You have a key to her house?”

“I’ve always had a key to her house. She stopped leaving the spare by the back door.”

“So you made your own?”

“Yep.”

Braeden laughed as we walked inside. “You know, when I first met her, I thought she was just your Emissary. Didn’t realize that she was family.”

“We pretty much grew up together. She and my older sister were never far apart.” I opened the fridge and saw I was right. “That’s a lot of takeout.” I helped myself to her trash bags and started checking the boxes. “She almost was a Hale.”

“How?”

“I’m pretty sure my cousin, Josh, would have married her. He was the reason she even found out about werewolves. The look on her face when he lost control around her was pretty funny though.” I chunked a few boxes, one looking like she was conducting a science experiment. “She turned her back on the supernatural after the fire.”

“Do you really blame her?”

“I would have, if I could. I’m the reason she came back. I kinda dragged her back in it after my sister was murdered.”

“And then she became your Emissary.”

“Yep.” I heard the door open and looked around the fridge door to see Trish had come home.

“Don’t have your own fridge to raid?” she asked, coming into the kitchen. “Or clean,” she added seeing the trash bag nearly full of boxes. “Why are you cleaning my fridge out?”

“Because collecting takeout boxes is an unhealthy hobby.” Something bounced off the back of my head and hit the floor. “Ow!” I turned to see she’d thrown the empty milk jug that had been sitting in the trash can at me.

“Ass. Been too busy not dying to cook.” She then paused. “Did you seriously buy me groceries?”

“Well, while you’ve been too busy not dying, I knew you didn’t have time to shop.”

“You didn’t have to buy my groceries.”

“No, but I’m your brother and I wanted to.” I threw the last box away and we started to put up the groceries. “And consider it an intervention to your takeout addiction.”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

**ANNA**

I usually hung with my friends at lunch, but this time I was seeking someone out. I found him sitting by himself in the stands of the lacrosse field. He had the brown bag his lunch was in sitting next to him but it was still rolled shut. I knew he’d smell me coming as I climbed the stands to join him.

“You look upset,” I said as I sat down next to him.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you trying to convince us or yourself?”

Liam glanced over at me. “Did Scott tell you about the weight room thing?”

“Scott’s right, Liam. We kinda threw you into our world without an owner’s manual. I get that it’s overwhelming for you. But don’t push Mason away too. He’s your best friend. He’s always going to be there for you.”

“That night we almost died, I asked Scott how you guys were still alive. He said not all of you were.” Liam looked at me as my chest constricted. “How many of you have died?”

I looked down at my hands and sighed. “Four,” I whispered before I looked over at Liam. “The dead pool is over. We’ll understand if you want to distance yourself from the rest of us.” I put a hand on his arm. “The crap you’ve seen is enough to give anyone nightmares. But you need to talk about it eventually. If not to one of us, then to Mason.”

“How do you deal with all of it? How do you not have nightmares?”

“Well, I have a big sister that I can talk to. The two of us have seen a lot more than you have and Trish sees a lot more than I do. It helps to talk about it and not keep it bottled up.” I stood and started to turn away.

“I keep seeing them.”

I turned back to Liam.

“Everywhere. Even though I know they’re not really there.”

“Seeing what?” I sat back down.

“The berserkers. Ever since the hospital. I see them in the halls at school. I see them in my room. I see them in the weight room.”

“Because you’re scared. And that fear is letting them have power over you.”

“How do I not be scared? I’m a monster, Anna. Monsters shouldn’t be scared of other monsters.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re not a monster.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You don’t grow claws and fangs. You’re not a monster like me.”

“Since you seem to be so convinced that you’re one, how about this. Not all monsters do monstrous things.” This got Liam’s attention. “You still have control of your humanity. The berserkers do not. So you cannot compare yourself to them because they stopped being humans a long time ago. You’re still human.” I reached down and took his hands, the tingling sensation I got with Meredith going through them. I focused that energy in calming his fears, helping him not be afraid. “And that’s why you’re not a monster.”

“But I still don’t have control. There’s a full moon coming.”

“Then we need to find you something to focus on. We need to find you an anchor.”

**TRISH**

I arrived at the lacrosse game with Anna and we sat next to Stilinski and Malia. I noticed that Scott and Kira were missing and I headed down to the bench, also noticing that Liam seemed a bit agitated. He then glanced up at the moon and I realized that he was nervous about tomorrow’s full moon.

“Liam, you’re gonna be fine,” Stiles said. “Okay? Just try not to rage out on anyone.”

“Cheap advice from a human,” I teased.

“You’re not worried?” Liam asked.

“Okay, I’m mildly concerned. Mildly.” Stiles pulled his phone out and sent a text.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Where’s Scott and Kira?”

“Scott said they were going to be late. He’s freaking out about it.”

“Must be a damn good date.”

I knew that Derek had offered the loft for Scott and Kira to have a date there. Which I found out when I found him and Braeden at my house and Derek deciding that my fridge needed cleaning out and the groceries replaced. I did hit him with an empty milk jug when he commented on the amount of takeout boxes in the fridge.

“We’re gonna lose without him,” Liam fretted.

“No, we’re not. We can be just as good without Scott. Okay?”

Liam gave him a doubtful look.

“I’ve been practicing,” Stiles added. “Let me tell you something. I’m getting good. Really good.”

Liam looked up at me. “We’re going to lose, aren’t we?”

“Probably.”

Stiles glared at me.

“Just focus on the game, Liam. I know how good you are. You got this.”

~~~

Stiles was thrown around like a rage doll and I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Both Anna and I were getting worried that Scott and Kira hadn’t shown up yet. After some more disastrous plays and a typical Coach temper tantrum, Stiles ran over to his dad and explained the situation to him.

“Want us to stay here in case he shows up?” Malia asked.

“Yeah. Anna, see if you can get a hold of him, too.”

“I’ve been trying to.”

“Keep trying.”

One of the players nearly scored a goal until the ball was knocked out of his net. Liam darted forward, then suddenly froze.

“Liam!” Coach cried. “For the love of God! Move!”

The Devonport Prep player ran right by him. My phone suddenly went off and I looked down and saw it was Lydia.

“Great timing, Lydia,” I answered.

_I need you to get to Eichen House._

“What? Why?”

_Because Deaton needs help._

I knew Alan had gone to Eichen to talk to Valick, a man that gave even me the creeps. He had a literal third eye, but anyone who looked into it either went crazy or went into a coma-like state.

“He put him under, didn’t he?”

_Yeah. He’s not waking up and they’re going to commit him if he doesn’t. We need to hurry._

“I’ll meet you there.” I turned to Anna.

“I’ll stay here in case Scott and Kira show up.”

“I’m sorry, Anna. It’s Alan.”

She nodded. “He needs you more than this game.”

I quickly left, passing by Peter as I did so. I didn’t have time to say anything to him. If he was there to talk to Anna, that was going to be between them.

**THOMAS**

I was genuinely surprised to see Jordan’s number pop up on my caller ID.

“Hello?”

_Thomas?_

“You did mean to call me and not Trish, right?”

_Actually, yeah. I know you don’t have any reason to, but I could use some help._

“And you call me instead of your fellow deputies?”

_Well, I’d call Trish, but she has enough on her plate and I really can’t focus on her trying to explain herself. I’ve been following Peter, but I’ve lost him at the sewer treatment facilities._

“And you called me because…?”

 _I could use supernatural help. I mean, if you’re that kind of supernatural. But you’re a PI, so I know you can handle yourself_.

“Fair enough. Yeah, I’ll help you with my daughter’s boyfriend.”

I arrived at the treatment plant and saw Chris’ SUV parked outside it. Jordan was leaned against his own car.

“Isn’t that Chris’ car?” I asked.

“I called him but he didn’t answer. I’m thinking he must still be inside. Cell reception isn’t great down there.”

I sniffed the air, testing the scents to see if I could track Peter or Chris.

“What are you, by the way?”

“Werewolf.” My brows furrowed together, recognizing Peter’s scent from Anna’s room. “Don’t know how well that pistol will be against berserkers, but keep it handy.”

“You smell them?”

“They have a very distinct scent. I also have Chris’ scent so I can follow that. I’ll lead the way. Stay behind me.”

We went into the treatment plant, the smell of the sewage nearly overpowering the scents I was following.

“Good hiding place,” I said in a low voice. “I can barely make out Chris or Peter’s scents.”

We headed down farther into the plant and I started to focus my hearing since the scent of waste was beginning to make me nauseous. I could hear a single heartbeat, irregular breaths. Against my better judgment, I inhaled. And flicked out my claws.

“What is it?”

“I smell blood.”

We turned a corner and found Chris. I was truly surprised that he was even alive. He was pinned to the wall with rebar and looked to be on the verge of bleeding to death.

“They’re gone,” he croaked.

Jordan quickly went to him to examine the bar, which looked like it’d been bent to keep him from taking himself off of it. “How long have you been like this?”

“I don’t know. Might’ve blacked out a few times.”

“Peter Hale did this?"

“You were following him?”

“Every day since Meredith Walker.”

“We have to get him off this,” I said, knowing I was the only one here that could straighten the bar.

Chris gave a scream the moment I touched it. “Thomas, don’t worry about me. Kate’s going after Scott. Peter and Kate. You gotta warn them.”

“We can do that when you’re not looking like a collection piece.”

“Just go.”

“If we leave right now,” Jordan countered. “You’ll be dead by the time we get back. We’re getting you out of here.”

I pushed Chris’ sleeve up and placed my hand on his arm. I gave a pained grunt as the pain visibly traveled up my arm. I couldn’t see how he wasn’t screaming his head off.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking his pain.”

“Both of you just leave.”

“We can’t do that,” Jordan said.

“Scott is more important.”

“Because he’s an Alpha?” I asked. “We’re not leaving you. You’re just as important to this pack.”

“I don’t care. I don’t know what they have planned for him. You don’t have the time to get me out of this. Just go and warn him. Just let me go.”

I just looked at him, shocked. I’d known Chris a long time. The one I used to know, the Hunter, would never give up like this.

“Look,” Jordan said. “I don’t know much about you or what you’ve been through. But Trish told me a lot. She told me about Allison and Scott. And Allison would never give up and she would never let you give up. So you let Thomas do his thing and we’re going to get you the hell out of here.”

Chris looked up and I could see the anger and the pain in his eyes. “Do it,” he simply said.

I grabbed the bar and easily straightened it with my strength, Chris screaming as I did so. Jordan jumped in and the two of us pulled him off the bar.

**TRISH**

The orderly, who I used to work with at the hospital before he quit after the Void incident, let me in once I told him I was there to see Conrad. Lydia led me through the halls, her Banshee abilities leading her. I hoped we weren’t too late. We approached the room as we heard Conrad speak.

“Still nothing,” he sighed. “I think we’re going to have to move him to the sixth floor.”

“You’re not taking him anywhere,” Lydia said.

Conrad turned to see me and Lydia in the doorway. “Unless the two of you are family, I don’t think you can make that decision.”

“He’s close enough to family, Conrad,” I said stepping into the room.

“We’re here to talk to him,” Lydia said.

“He’s not responding to any stimuli. We can talk to him, but there’s no way of knowing he’s actually hearing us.” He looked at me. “Maybe you can explain this to her.”

“Trust me.” I looked at him with a smile. “He’ll hear us.”

“Trish, he was talking to Valick. I warned him about him. You know what he can do. We’re moving him to the sixth floor.”

“Who was the only person in your berserker lecture that didn’t laugh at you?”

Conrad just looked at me. I hated to have to reveal myself to him.

“Who told you they believed you?”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Pull the bed away from the wall.”

“What are you doing? You don’t have the right…”

“I have every right, Conrad. So let me work.”

Conrad stepped back as my eyes had changed colors.

I stepped behind the bed, placing my fingers into position. “Give me five minutes, Lydia. Then do it.”

Lydia nodded and I focused, willing myself into manifesting into his consciousness.

_I found myself in an old temple or church of some kind._

_“Trish?”_

_I turned and found Alan standing next to an altar of some kind._

_“What are you doing here?”_

_“Coming to get you. Needed to make sure you were okay.”_

_He held up the bone knife in his hand. “I think this is where she did it. And she’s going to do the same thing to Scott. They’re heading there now.”_

_“She’s going to steal Scott’s powers?”_

_“I’m not sure, but you and the others have to get there before she does.”_

_“There’s going to be a we in that. You’re not staying in the vision quest thing you got going on.”_

_“Trish, there’s no time. You need to –”_

_“Deeeeatoooonnnnn!”_

Alan sat up with a gasp as I broke the connection I had with him, staggering into the wall. Conrad just stared at us with his jaw on the floor.

“We have to go now,” I said.

“Wait! You can’t just take him,” Conrad cried.

“Watch me, Conrad.”

Conrad reached toward me and I spun around.

“Don’t try me right now. I’m doing my job so don’t stand in my way.”

Conrad didn’t even attempt to stop me this time as we escorted Alan out of the room.

Once at the clinic, Alan told us about the vision Valick had given him. About Kate being the Bone Woman. About how she was indeed a Nagual like I suspected her to be. Lydia called Stiles.

“Scott’s been taken,” she said as soon as he answered.

_Him and Kira. We just don’t know where._

“Mexico,” Alan said. “And if you want to save his life, that’s where you’re going, too.”


	13. Smoke and Mirrors, Angels and Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack returns to Mexico as discoveries are made. Finale.

“We don’t know when she took him, but we think it might have been earlier today,” I was telling Thomas as I walked into the loft. He’d called to warn me that Kate was after Scott after finding Chris in the sewers looking like he’d tangled with a berserker. “We’re going after them.”

_Then we’ll meet you there. Probably bring the calvary while we’re at it._

“Fine. We’re going to gather the others. Stiles is going to see if we can count on his dad for backup. Be careful.”

_You be careful. And don’t trust Peter._

I looked at the phone wondering if I’d just heard Thomas right. “What?”

_Just trust me on this. I know he’s Anna’s boyfriend, but please don’t let your guard down around him._

“I won’t. I’ll see you at La Inglasia.” I hung up and turned as I heard a gun cock. I was pretty sure Braeden’s entire arsenal was laying on the table.

Derek was leaned over it. “I still don’t like relying on these things,” he said with a sigh.

“I get it,” Braeden said. “You miss your power. I would, too.”

“It’s not about power. It’s about being able to help. I don’t like feeling helpless.”

“You can still help,” I said. “Look at Stiles and Anna.”

Braeden gave him an annoyed look. “I’m human. Do I look helpless?”

I snickered and Derek gave a half-hearted smirk.

“You’re a much better shot than me.” He looked at me. “You both are.”

“Berserkers are a big target though.”

A worried look suddenly came over Braeden’s face. “Do you really think you won’t be coming back?”

“Not alive.”

I glared at him. “You know that’s not true.”

“I don’t know it’s not true.”

Braeden set the gun down. “You know I’m not okay with that.” She motioned at me. “Neither one of us are.”

Derek’s only answer was to smile and gently kiss her. There was just something about Braeden that I trusted with Derek. She knew his secret from the beginning, helped him learn how to defend himself as a human, and she still treated him like any other person. I didn’t even feel the need to threaten her like I had with Jennifer, or Julia. Whatever that bitch’s name actually was. I just wish Jordan could have looked past my secrets like Braeden had with Derek. But it made me happy to see him with someone that loved him and wasn’t using him for their own gains.

“I am,” Derek whispered when they broke away. She looked at him, hurt on her face. “If it saves Scott and Kira.”

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to do that,” I said.

“Says the Eamonn.” He then looked at the arsenal. “But to be honest, I don’t even know if this is enough firepower to take down one Berserker.”

“Not even close,” Peter said. I turned to see him walking down the spiral staircase. “Killing a Berserker is next to impossible. It’s not just the firepower, it’s breaking the animal spirit from the human.”

“Well, the one person we know with that kind of experience is Argent,” Derek said. “And he’s not getting back to me.” He looked at me. “What about you?”

Thomas’ warning was at the front of my mind. “I just talked to Thomas. He’s going to meet us in Mexico. Case out the place. I haven’t heard from Chris.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Well, then you’re going to need help. Like Malia, maybe Liam. Definitely me and Trish.” He gave a smirk and I had a feeling that Thomas knew something he didn’t want to say over the phone

“Because you know all about Berserkers?” I asked.

“And I’ve fought them before.”

“Last time we faced them, I believe you tucked tail and ran.”

“Anna tell you that?”

“Yep.”

“I was trying to find Derek.”

“Mhmm.”

“Look, you need everyone you can get. I wouldn’t be discounting my help just because some Banshee heard the thoughts born of grief and pain while I was in a coma.”

“Trish, we do need the help,” Derek said.

I sighed. “Fine.” My phone rang again and I saw it was Stiles this time. “What did your dad say?”

_Well, we’re on our own on that part. He wasn’t to go through legit channels._

“If we do it that way, it’ll be years before we get any progress.”

_Exactly. Also, Liam is insisting on coming._

“Why is that a problem?”

_He hasn’t learned control._

“What do you want me to do? I’m not Iceman. I can’t freeze him long enough to get to Mexico.”

_Can Braeden get a prisoner transport van?_

Braeden, in fact, could get a prison transport van, judging by the fact she drove into the hanger at the airport we were using as a meeting point in one.

“You actually got one?” Stiles asked.

“I’m a U.S Marshal,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I thought that was just a cover.”

She only smirked.

“Are we really bringing him?” Derek asked, motioning to Liam.

“Are we really bringing him?” Stiles retorted, motioning to Peter.

“We’re bringing everyone we can,” Peter said. He looked over at me and Anna. “Although not sure what Trish is thinking about bringing Anna.”

“Last I checked, you weren’t my dad,” Anna snapped. “I’m going whether you like it or not.”

“Have you met her?” I asked. “When is she not in the middle of all our shit?”

Peter gave me a look. I raised my brow, daring him to continue the argument. He had the sense to drop it. “Considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going.”

“What’s that mean?” Malia asked.

“If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she’s not planning to do the same thing to him?”

“What would that accomplish?” I asked.

“Take him back to when he wasn’t a werewolf,” Derek said. “When he wasn’t an Alpha.”

“Question still stands.”

“A werewolf can’t steal a True Alpha’s power. But maybe a Nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her…” he sighed. “Maybe she can.”

I suddenly had a bad feeling it wasn’t the jaguar that wanted his power.

“So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going.”

“We can’t,” Stiles said. “Not without Lydia.”

“Where is Lydia?” Anna asked.

“At school.”

“You better call her and find out where she is,” I said.

Stiles stepped away to call her, pacing as he did so.

“What’s she doing at the school anyway?” Derek asked.

“We got Kira’s sword,” Malia said. “But we need something with a stronger scent. Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker.”

“Nothing,” Stiles said.

“If she has a car,” Braeden said. “She can catch up to us.”

“That’s a good point,” Peter said, pointing at her. “We’ll call her from the road.”

“No. What if something happened? What if she’s in trouble?”

“Fine. You stay, you find her. We’re gonna go on without you.”

I frowned, finding Peter’s gung-ho attitude suspicious. Considering he opted out of every other plan we had.

“I could call Mason,” Liam offered. “He has a study group at school. Maybe he could look for her.”

“Alright. Fine.”

“If that’s settled,” I said. “We really need to get going.”

We all scattered to our respective vehicles, Stiles pulling Malia aside for a moment.

“Remember what we’re dealing with here,” Peter reminded us. “It’s not just Kate, it’s Berserkers.” He pulled a jacket on. “You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume that there’s any humanity left.”

Anna looked over at Liam.

Peter seemed to immediately pick up on why. “This little one is terrified of them, aren’t you?”

Liam didn’t answer, but looked over at me and Anna and I could see it in his eyes that Peter was right.

“Don’t worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone. You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill.”

He looked at Anna after he said that. Anna gave Liam’s arm a squeeze and he gave her a smile. Anna then got into my passenger seat.

“Not riding with Peter and Malia?” I asked when I got into my Renegade.

“I’d rather ride with you,” she said.

Braeden got into the driver’s seat of the transport van, while Stiles, Liam, and Derek got into the back. Peter and Malia got into the Cruiser and before long we were driving off with Peter in the lead. Braeden was next while I brought up the rear.

~~~

“Something is bothering you,” Anna said as we sped down a dirt road.

“Don’t let your guard down at all when we get there.” I wasn’t sure if Anna would believe me if I passed along Thomas’ warning.

“That’s not what’s bothering you.”

I sighed. “I have a feeling that Peter is up to something. I’ve been suspecting it since we found out he was the Benefactor.”

“I know,” Anna agreed. “I want to trust him, but a part of me thinks all of you were right.”

“You’re still upset with him.”

“He wanted all of us dead. Why would I not be upset about that?”

Night had fallen and the moon was rising.

“How’s Liam doing?”

She frowned. “I can feel anger and fear.”

Just as she said that the van swerved. I prayed that Liam wasn't currently tearing Derek and Stiles apart. We were almost to La Iglesia and I could see Anna looked worried.

“Come on, Liam,” I whispered. “Come on.”

I knew that Derek had brought along the triskelion medallion. While it had worked for Laura, Cora, and Josh, the medallion had no effect on Derek, which led to Peter teaching him to use raw emotions and anger to control his shift. Braeden kept the van on the road, and soon it stopped swerving and Anna and I let out a breath.

“What are you feeling?” I asked.

“He's in control,” she said.

I parked with the others in front of a large Catholic looking church, the only building in the town that was still standing. Derek opened the back doors of the van and a Berserker suddenly came out of nowhere, grabbing Derek and throwing him out of the van and into the dirt.

“Oh, God!” I reached for my door handle as I turned off the car.

The Berserker threw Derek again and he landed hard on a low wall and the Berserker was on top of him seconds later.

I stumbled out of the car as it stabbed Derek. “Derek!” I screamed.

I ran towards them as it stabbed him again, Derek crying out in pain. Braeden opened fire on it and I slammed into it, using my force spell to throw it backward. Braeden kept firing at it as I turned back to Derek as he rolled off the wall in obvious pain. He'd been stabbed several times in the side and chest. I immediately crouched down and applied pressure to the wounds.\

“Derek!” Braeden crouched next to him on the other side.

I looked over my shoulder at the others. Peter looked distraught. Liam, Malia, and Stiles looked shocked. Anna came running with my medical kit.

“How bad is it?” Peter asked.

"I'm fine,” Derek said. “I’m fine. Just get to Scott."

Everyone hesitated as Anna opened my bag and pulled out gauze.

“Just find him. We'll be right behind you.”

Peter and I looked at one another as I pressed the gauze against his side. We both knew that was a lie.

“Go.”

Nobody moved at first. I nodded at Peter. He then looked at the others before looking back at Derek.

"Go!"

Peter slowly turned and headed into the ruins of the church, Malia and Liam followed a moment later. Anna looked between them and us, undecided and Stiles hesitated.

“Go,” I said gently. “We'll follow.”

Anna knew I was lying but took a step back. Stiles started to follow and then stopped, warring with finding his best friend or staying with the dying pack member.

“Hey.”

Stiles and Anna looked back at us at Derek’s words.

“Hey. Save him.”

They nodded and followed the others into the church.

“You do know they know you're full of shit, right?” I said.

He nodded. “Go with them.”

“No, I'm staying right here with you. I'm not going to abandon you. I never have and I'm not going to start now.”

Derek looked at Braeden. “Lydia was right.”

“No, she’s not. Don’t you dare check out on me.”

Braeden looked at me. She was counting on me to save him. But with as bad as his wounds were, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to.

**ANNA**

Me and Stiles split away from the others to find Kira and Scott. We’d been ambushed by a lone Berserker and Liam, Malia, and Peter were going to face off with it. Stiles was running ahead with the flashlight while I had my bow with an arrow nocked. I raised my bow when I saw movement. We were both relieved to see Kira. I was not so relieved to see her covered in blood.

“Are you okay?” Stiles asked.

“It’s Scott,” Kira said, panicked. “Stiles, it’s Scott.”

“What?”

“The Berserker. It’s him. Kate did it.”

“Oh, my God,” I said.

“What are you talking about?”

“She turned him into a Berserker,” I said. “That’s what she wanted him for.” I was horrified. I turned to Stiles. “They’re going to kill him!”

“That’s why Lydia’s not here,” Stiles concluded. “They won’t know they’re killing Scott.”

“We have to stop them!” I turned and ran back the direction we just came from.

“Aim for the skull!” I heard Peter cry.

We turned a corner and saw Liam and Peter had the Berserker pinned against the wall and Malia was rushing at them with a bone knife in her hand.

“No!” Stiles screamed. “Wait! Malia! Wait!”

Kira rushed forward and sliced the knife in half, Malia glaring at her.

“It’s Scott,” I said. “It’s Scott.”

**TRISH**

“Can you still pull a trigger?” Braeden asked.

Derek nodded. “Can't guarantee I'll hit anything.”

Braeden handed him a gun.

“It's a big target. You're bound to hit something," I said.

Derek chuckled then winced and Braeden smirked.

“Stay with me,” Braeden said. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“It’s a mortal wound. And right now, I’m feeling pretty mortal.”

“Shut up,” I said. “You’re not dying here. I’m not going to let you.”

“You might not have a choice.” We heard a loud growl. “You two might just have to concentrate on saving yourselves.”

I stayed with Derek. Braeden disappeared around a wall and I heard growls and gunshots before they stopped. Derek held the handgun up, ready to shoot. Then I heard several SUVs pull up and a dozen semi-automatic guns and handguns started going off.

“Thomas wasn’t kidding when he said he was bringing the calvary.”

A Berserker and Kate ran by and I could feel the hate growing in me. Derek was dying because of whatever she did to steal away his werewolf powers. Derek squeezed my arm with his free hand and my attention went back to him.

“Don't you do it.” I could see it in his eyes, he was going to say his goodbyes.

“Trish.”

“Please, don't.”

“I'm glad you stayed with me. Even when I was being a cocky asshole.”

I chuckled, tears beginning to form in my eyes, at the reference of what I'd called him when he was building his pack.

“You're my brother, Derek. I could never leave you.”

He smiled. Braeden returned and he looked at her, reaching over and taking her hand.

“Derek?”

He smiled at her, looking almost relieved, before closing his eyes. His head rolled to the side.

“Derek?” Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Derek!”

I felt like I had just been socked in the stomach. “No,” I whispered as I checked for his pulse. My own tears began to fall when I didn't feel one. “No. No, Derek.” I couldn't breathe. I felt the same way as I had when Josh died. When Laura died. Only this was worst. I had just watched my brother die before my eyes. “Derek!” I screamed, burying my face into his chest.

Then the grief turned to rage. Actually, I don't think rage quite covers it. I really don't think there is a word in any language, modern or ancient, to accurately describe what I'm feeling right now. I stood, my eyes changing. Braeden placed her hand on Derek’s cheek as I did so, turning his head to face her and struggling not to sob.

The area was extremely quiet now. A growl and a gunshot broke the silence. I saw Kate attacking one of the Calaveras' Hunters. The anger seemed to make me stronger and I felt my power surge through me. A Berserker came at me and he went flying several feet as I pushed my hand out, sending the force field out and hitting him in the chest. Behind me, I heard Braeden's shotgun. The second Berserker came at me and I ducked, grabbing the knife in its belt. I spun around, slicing into its back. It roared in pain and swung at me. I used the force spell on it as well and it too went flying.

“I think I'll keep this,” I said and tucked it into the back of my jeans.

I reached my hands out and pulled dirt and rocks up, focusing on Kate as she killed the Hunter. Araya stopped several feet away from her as she growled.

“You're next, Araya!” She looked at Araya. “I’m coming to kill you next.”

She flicked out a cattle prod. “Come, La Loba. Let me show you how the Calaveras die."

I have to admit it. Araya had balls that clanked. Kate roared and advanced on Araya. I intercepted by hitting Kate with the earth and she went down.

“You'll have to go through me first, bitch," I said through clenched teeth, stepping between her and the old Hunter.

Kate hopped back to her feet and growled at me, her face then going to a look of surprise. It was the first time she’d seen me in true form. She knew I was a Druid, but she never knew about my abilities.

“What the hell are you?”

“The last thing you'll ever see.” I drew on all my power.

Araya was even looking at me surprised.

“We'll see about that.” Kate roared and came toward me.

A wolf suddenly howled, drawing everyone's attention. A large black wolf jumped over the wall behind Araya. The Hunter took a step back. Then I saw something I never would have thought I'd see. The wolf's eyes glowed bright blue. I turned to look where I had left Derek's body, to find it gone. Shock was an understatement. The wolf charged at Kate, ripping into her and I stepped back, releasing the power I'd been drawing. Kate screamed, trying to get the wolf off her. Then he stopped and backed away, baring his teeth and growling. Kate started to crawl away and the wolf suddenly stood on his hind legs, transforming into… Derek? How in holy hell...? I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. Derek hadn't been dying after all. Kate turned back towards Derek, her eyes wide as she looked him up and down. It hadn't even registered with me that Derek was standing there in his birthday suit until now.

“You were…,” Kate started. “You were dead.”

“No,” Derek corrected. “I was evolving. Something you'll never do.”

A Berserker went after Derek and he grabbed its mask. With almost little effort, Derek tore the mask in half and my jaw hit the dirt. The Berserker disappeared in a flash of light, only leaving behind its bone armor and weapons. Kate scrambled to her feet and a shot rang out. Kate went flying several feet. Derek and I looked towards where the shot had come from to see Chris, holding his .45 up. That surprised me just as much as Derek coming back to life and turning into a full wolf. Okay, maybe Derek had surprised me more.

"Chris?" Kate whimpered before staggering to her feet and running, Chris in pursuit.

Braeden ran towards Derek. “Derek!” I heard the relief in her voice. She jumped into his arms and he caught her and they kissed. “I thought...”

“I did too.”

I walked over to him and punched him in the arm. “Don't do that to me again! That's the... fifth time you've done that to me!”

Derek chuckled and set Braeden down and I hugged him, tears streaming down my face. I was so happy to see that his death hadn't been permanent, only a step in the evolutionary process.

“And can you please put some pants on?”

Derek gave a laugh. “Yes, Mom.”

I gave him a glare before I heard the scream coming from the church. A very familiar scream. I looked at Derek, terrified. “Anna.”

**ANNA**

Berserker Scott took advantage of our hesitation to shove Liam and Peter off him. He then turned and punched Malia. Stiles pushed me back to get me out of the way. Scott strode toward Liam, who crawled backward.

“Scott?” Kira said. “Scott, don’t!”

“Scott,” Stiles tried to get through to him. “It’s me.”

Scott stopped all of two seconds before bitch-slapping Stiles.

“Scott!” I screamed as he picked up Liam and slammed him into the wall.

“Scott,” Liam said, looking into the eyes of his Alpha.

Scott reared his arm back, a bone knife attached to his wrist.

“Scott! Scott! Listen, listen, listen!”

Scott hesitated.

“You’re not a monster!” Something immediately felt different. “You’re a werewolf! Like me.”

Scott lowered his arm before slowly lowering Liam and letting him go. Scott then started to tear the armor off himself. I went to Liam and he nodded at me to tell me he was okay. Scott then ripped the skull mask off his face with a roar. I then could feel anger coming from Scott.

“You,” he growled, glaring at Peter.

We all looked at Peter before looking back at Scott.

“The only one who knew as much as Argent and Trish about Berserkers. About the Nagual. You taught Kate. You helped her. All for power.”

I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me. Trish had been right again. She thought he was up to something, but this…

“For my family’s power,” Peter said. “To be rightfully inherited by me. Not usurped by some idiot teenage boy, so incorruptible, he wouldn’t shed the blood of his enemies even when justified. You don’t deserve your power.” Peter’s voice deepened and I stepped back as his eyes began to glow blue. “Not power like this.” Peter transformed and for a moment I thought he was going to take the form he had when he was an Alpha. Instead, he took his humanoid form and roared.

Malia gave an answering roar and went to defend Scott.

Peter threw her across the room. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, we’ll talk about this later.”

“Peter!” I screamed. “Not now, Angel.”

Kira started to go toward Peter.

“Kira!” Scott’s voice stopped her and she stood down. He was livid. The two stared each other down. This wasn’t happening. This was just a nightmare I was having.

“You were my Beta first, Scott. It was my bite that changed your life. And my bite that can end it.”

“Then end it, Peter. Because you won’t get another chance.”

Peter roared and Scott gave an answering roar and the two leapt at each other.

I felt something deep within me as time seemed to slow as the two were in midair.

“Stop it!” I screamed.

I felt power in my voice, heat on my back, warmth all around me. Both Scott and Peter slammed against the wall farthest from me. Peter seemed to be out cold. Scott looked at me like he’d never seen me before.

“Anna?” Stiles said slowly. “I’m tired of us fighting each other!” I said. “I’m tired of everyone always at each other’s throats.” I waved my arms around. “I’m tired of this!” I walked toward Peter, who had come to and was sitting up, shaking his head. He looked up at me and his eyes widened. “How could you, Peter?” He didn’t answer, only stared at me with his mouth open. “After all the trust I put into you. After all the convincing I’ve tried to do, you do this?”

“Angel…” he finally said.

“Why?”

“To protect you. She threatened you and Trish. I had to do it to keep you safe. She got into my head.”

I turned my back to him, not sure whether to believe him or not. Only to see the rest of the pack, including my sister, Braeden, and a very much alive Derek, looking at me with very shocked expressions on their faces. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“Anna,” Trish seemed to have recovered first. “You have wings.”

**TRISH**

Walking into that sanctuary and seeing my sister with glowing white wings and a halo of white light around her completely topped the list of shocking events that happened today. I had passed over what she was a hundred times, not connecting the creature with Anna. In retrospect, everything else had matched. My sister was an angel. Literally. Scott decided to let Peter go, but told him he was no longer welcome in the pack. The gravity of what he did seemed to have hit him when Anna didn’t defend him. We left the church to find the Calaveras, Chris, Jordan, and Thomas waiting for us. Thomas and Araya seemed to be discussing something before shaking hands, a look on his face as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Chris explained to us how he’d made a deal with Araya months before to leave us alone before he left with them. I then walked over to Thomas and Jordan.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were bringing the calvary,” I said.

“We kinda figured you guys could use the help,” Thomas said. “Chris is the one that gave them the info on Kate.”

“I really appreciate the help.”

Thomas glanced between me and Jordan. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to an Alpha and see if he has an opening for an adult werewolf in his pack.”

I gave a laugh as Thomas walked away. I watched as he approached Scott.

“Trish,” Jordan suddenly said.

“Now you know what I can do,” I said, looking up at him. “This is what I wanted to protect you from.”

“I get it now. I get that your way of protecting those around you is by secrecy until you feel they need to know. I’m sorry for the way I acted. And I’m really sorry I didn’t answer your calls and texts.”

“You heard that voicemail, didn’t you?”

“Everyone’s right about you being insane.”

I gave a laugh.

“I let my ego get in the way of what you were trying to do. I was a real asshole about it and I owe you an apology for it.”

“Not the first asshole I’ve had to deal with,” I looked up with a smirk.

“I’d like to start over. If you’ll forgive me for being an asshole.”

“How about we start by you coming over some time and we look through the bestiary. Try to find out what you are.”

“That sounds like a great plan.”

**A FEW DAYS LATER**

I pulled into the driveway to see Peter walking away from the house.

“Get lost?” I asked as I grabbed the sack of last minutes stuff I needed.

“No, not really. Just thought you two would want to know I’m leaving Beacon Hills.”

“I’m not being your messenger, Peter. Grow a pair and tell Anna yourself.” I shut the door, locking the doors with the keyless entry.

“I just told her. She still seemed upset about the whole La Inglasia thing.”

“Ya think?”

“When we tracked Kate and Derek to the vault, me and her fought. She got into my head, said she could get my family’s power back. I told her no, but she said I would help if I cared about Anna.”

“She threatened Anna so you became her bitch.”

“She threatened both of you. And with her record, I knew she’d go through with it.” Peter sighed. “I just came by to say goodbye. I never deserved an angel’s love. I never deserved her trust. But I’ll treasure the time I got to have with her.”

“She loves you, Peter. She always will. You never forget your first love.”

“You still love Josh.”

“I always will, even though I love Jordan, Josh will always have that special place. Anna will love someone else, but she will always love you.”

Peter sighed and turned away.

“Good luck, Peter. In whatever you do and where ever you go. Maybe one day we’ll forgive you for what you did, but don’t hold your breath.”

“Goodbye, Trish.” Peter then turned and walked away.

I went inside, smelling what was cooking.

“That smells really good,” I commented.

“Did you get what I needed?” Jordan asked.

“Right here.” I set down the ingredients on the counter. “Need anything else?”

“Just that bestiary. Really hoping we can uncover what I am.”

“Me too.”


End file.
